During his first Udasi, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji arrived in Lahore and rested under an ancient tree, absorbed in meditation. At dawn, as he sat in deep contemplation, the agonizing cries of animals pierced the silence. Disturbed, Guru Ji followed the sounds and witnessed a horrific scene—people mercilessly slaughtering animals in the name of sacrifice.
When Guru Nanak questioned one man, the reply was chilling: “This is sacrifice. It brings salvation to these creatures and earns us merit.” Guru Ji’s heart ached at this delusion. With divine authority, he spoke the eternal truth:
“Asankh galvadh hatya kamay, asankh paapi paap kari jaay”
(“Countless are butchered in sacrifice, countless sinners reap the fruits of their sins.”)
He then dismantled the man’s justification with piercing wisdom: “If God is the Creator of all, how can He rejoice in the slaughter of His own creation? Would a father be pleased if his children were killed in his name? You claim this violence brings virtue, but it is nothing but selfishness disguised as devotion.”
Guru Nanak exposed the hypocrisy of ritual sacrifice—no divine will demands bloodshed. True sacrifice, he taught, is not the killing of helpless beings but the surrender of ego, greed, and pride. “You seek merit by taking lives, yet the greatest deception is calling cruelty ‘piety.’ The only offering God desires is a humble heart.”
Struck by these words, the man fell silent, his conscience awakened. Guru Nanak’s message was clear: No act of violence can ever lead to spiritual liberation. God is love, not blood. Salvation lies in compassion, not cruelty.
Sat Sri Akal.
