The short answer
Sikhism teaches that earning a living through honest, hard work (kirat karni) is a spiritual duty, and that sharing what you earn (vand chhakna) is just as important. Wealth itself is not condemned, but greed, exploitation and taking what belongs to others are strongly rejected. Money is to be used, shared and held lightly — it does not go with anyone at death.
In detail
Honest work is at the core of Sikh life. Guru Nanak Dev Ji is remembered for choosing to farm and live by his own labour at Kartarpur, and Gurbani describes the one who works for their food and shares some of it as a person who has found the path. Along with remembering the Divine (naam japna) and sharing (vand chhakna), honest earning (kirat karni) is one of the three pillars commonly used to summarise Sikh living.
Gurbani is uncompromising about dishonest gain. Taking what rightfully belongs to someone else is compared to eating the food most forbidden in another faith — a vivid way of saying it is utterly unacceptable. In modern terms this covers fraud, bribery, exploiting workers, cheating customers and dodging what is fairly owed. The means of earning matter as much as the amount.
Sikhi does not glorify poverty or ask people to renounce wealth. Many Sikhs are successful in business and professions, and prosperity can be a blessing when used well. What Gurbani warns against is greed and hoarding: wealth piled up is often gathered through some wrongdoing, and none of it travels with us when we die. The question is not how much we have, but how we earned it and what we do with it.
Sharing gives money its proper place. Many Sikhs practise dasvandh, traditionally giving a tenth of their earnings for the Guru's work and the needs of others, though the amount and way of giving vary from family to family. Sharing can also mean time, skills, hospitality and fair wages. Held in this way, money becomes a tool for seva rather than a master.
What Gurbani says
ਘਾਲਿ ਖਾਇ ਕਿਛੁ ਹਥਹੁ ਦੇਇ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਰਾਹੁ ਪਛਾਣਹਿ ਸੇਇ ॥੧॥
Ghaal khaae kichh hathahu dee. Naanak raahu pachhaaneh se.
One who works for what they eat, and gives some of it away with their own hand — says Nanak, such a person recognises the true path.
ਜੋ ਮਿਹਨਤ ਕਰਕੇ ਖਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ, ਅਤੇ ਉਸ ਵਿੱਚੋਂ ਕੁਝ ਆਪਣੇ ਹੱਥੀਂ ਦਾਨ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ — ਨਾਨਕ ਆਖਦੇ ਹਨ, ਅਜਿਹਾ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਸੱਚਾ ਰਾਹ ਪਛਾਣਦਾ ਹੈ।
Earning through one's own effort and giving some away with one's own hand defines the true path.
ਹਕੁ ਪਰਾਇਆ ਨਾਨਕਾ ਉਸੁ ਸੂਅਰ ਉਸੁ ਗਾਇ ॥
Hak paraaiaa naanakaa us sooar us gaae.
To take what rightfully belongs to another is as forbidden as the most forbidden food is to a Muslim or a Hindu.
ਕਿਸੇ ਹੋਰ ਦਾ ਹੱਕ ਖੋਹਣਾ ਓਨਾ ਹੀ ਵਰਜਿਤ ਹੈ ਜਿੰਨਾ ਇੱਕ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ਜਾਂ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਲਈ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਵਰਜਿਤ ਭੋਜਨ।
Taking what belongs to another is described as utterly forbidden.
ਪਾਪਾ ਬਾਝਹੁ ਹੋਵੈ ਨਾਹੀ ਮੁਇਆ ਸਾਥਿ ਨ ਜਾਈ ॥
Paapaa baajhahu hovai naahee muiaa saath na jaaee.
Wealth hoarded is not gathered without wrongdoing — and it does not go with anyone when they die.
ਗਲਤ ਕੰਮ ਕੀਤੇ ਬਿਨਾਂ ਧਨ ਦੇ ਢੇਰ ਇਕੱਠੇ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੁੰਦੇ — ਅਤੇ ਮਰਨ ਵੇਲੇ ਉਹ ਕਿਸੇ ਦੇ ਨਾਲ ਨਹੀਂ ਜਾਂਦੇ।
Hoarded wealth rarely comes without wrongdoing and does not go with anyone at death.
What it means
Guru Nanak Dev Ji draws a clear picture: the person who earns by honest effort and shares with their own hand recognises the true path. He is equally clear in the other direction — taking what is rightfully someone else's is as forbidden as the most forbidden food, and wealth hoarded through wrongdoing is left behind at death. Honest earning, generous sharing and a light grip on possessions belong together.
Living it today
- Review how you earn: is there anything you would not be comfortable explaining openly?
- Set up a regular dasvandh or giving plan, even if you start with a small share.
- Pay people you employ fairly and on time; this is part of honest living.
- Before a major purchase, ask whether it serves need, joy or ego.
- Teach children that sharing is a normal part of earning, not an extra.
A real-life example
Balvinder's shop
Balvinder runs a small grocery shop. A supplier offered him goods well below market price, with no receipts and no questions asked. It would have boosted his thin margins. Balvinder thought of his grandfather, who used to say that food bought with dishonest money never tastes right. He declined, kept his usual supplier and, as he did each month, put a tenth of his profit aside — this time for the Gurdwara's youth tuition project. His profits stayed modest, but he slept well and his customers trusted him.
Common misunderstandings
Sikhism teaches that money is evil.
Sikhi values honest prosperity. It condemns greed, exploitation and dishonest gain, not wealth as such.
Dasvandh must be exactly ten per cent given only to a Gurdwara.
Dasvandh is traditionally a tenth, but Sikhs give in different ways, including to wider community needs, and practice varies.
Giving to charity makes up for dishonest earning.
Gurbani links honest earning and sharing together; generosity cannot wash away the harm of wrongdoing.
Sources
- Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 1245 (Sarang ki Vaar)
- Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 141 (Majh ki Vaar)
- Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 417