Week 4 · Living our values · Day 24
Kirat Karni — honest work
Kirat Karni is one of the three pillars of Sikh living — earning an honest living through hard work, skill, and integrity. Guru Nanak Dev Ji himself worked as a farmer and trader, and he taught that dignified, honest effort is a form of prayer. The opposite of Kirat Karni is not laziness — it is cheating: taking credit you did not earn, cutting corners that hurt others, or gaining at someone else’s loss. When we work with care and honesty, we bring the divine into our daily life, whether we are doing homework, chores, or one day a career.
Kirat Karni means earning your living honestly — working with your hands and your heart, doing nothing to cheat or harm others.
Watch together Guru Nanak & The Two Villages Gurmukhi minute Trace today's letter — ਧ Dhadha ਸਚੁ ਖਟਣਾ ਸਚੁ ਰਾਸਿ ਹੈ; ਸਚੇ ਹੀ ਵਿਚਿ ਵਾਸੁ ॥
Sach khatnaa sach raas hai; sache hee vich vaas.
“Truthful earnings are the true wealth — and in truth alone is our home.”
Ask: 'What makes work honest? Can you think of a time when taking a shortcut felt wrong?'
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