You Can't Do Real Good With What You Took Wrongly

ਸਲੋਕੁ ਮਃ ੧ ॥

salok mehlaa 1.

Shalok, First Mehl:

ਜੇ ਮੋਹਾਕਾ ਘਰੁ ਮੁਹੈ ਘਰੁ ਮੁਹਿ ਪਿਤਰੀ ਦੇਇ ॥

jay mohaakaa ghar muhai ghar muhi pitree day-ay.

The thief robs a house, and offers the stolen goods to his ancestors.

ਅਗੈ ਵਸਤੁ ਸਿਞਾਣੀਐ ਪਿਤਰੀ ਚੋਰ ਕਰੇਇ ॥

agai vasat sinjaanee-ai pitree chor karay-i.

In the world hereafter, this is recognized, and his ancestors are considered thieves as well.

ਵਢੀਅਹਿ ਹਥ ਦਲਾਲ ਕੇ ਮੁਸਫੀ ਏਹ ਕਰੇਇ ॥

vadhee-ah hath dalaal kay musfee ayh karay-i.

The hands of the go-between are cut off; this is the Lord's justice.

ਨਾਨਕ ਅਗੈ ਸੋ ਮਿਲੈ ਜਿ ਖਟੇ ਘਾਲੇ ਦੇਇ ॥੧॥

naanak agai so milai je khatay ghaalay day-ay. ||1||

O Nanak, in the world hereafter, that alone is received, which one gives to the needy from his own earnings and labor. ||1||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

You can't do real good with what you took wrongly from others — a stolen gift isn't a gift at all.

Only what you give from your own honest work truly counts and truly comes back to you.

You can't do real good with what you took wrongly — real giving comes from your own honest work.

The deeper layer

A crisp ethical teaching: a thief who robs a house and then offers the stolen goods as a religious gift or to honor his ancestors gains nothing — the theft is recognized, and the taint spreads. You can't launder wrongdoing by giving some of it away. And the clear, positive rule: only that is received hereafter which one gives from one's own earnings and honest labor. Real generosity has to come from what's truly yours, earned honestly. For a child this is a foundation of integrity: doing good with what you took wrongly doesn't make it good; charity means giving from your own honest effort. Clean hands first, then a genuine gift.

A Question to Sit With

Why doesn't giving away something you took unfairly actually count as being generous?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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