ਕਿਰਤ ਕਰੋ

Kirat Karo (ਕਿਰਤ ਕਰੋ), pronounced kee-rat kah-ro, is a Punjabi phrase meaning earn an honest living through hard work. It is one of the three pillars of Sikh teaching set out by Guru Nanak. It asks a person to work diligently, without fraud or exploitation, and to live as a householder who earns by honest physical and mental effort.

Meaning

Kirat is work or labour done to earn a living, and karo is the command form of karna, to do. Put together, the phrase is an instruction, not just a description: do your work, and do it honestly. Sources on the three pillars explain it as earning a pure and dedicated living by using your skills and hard labour, for the good of yourself, your family and society at large, rather than living idly or by unfair means.

How is kirat karo lived in daily life?

In daily life it looks ordinary, and that is the point. A farmer working his fields, a teacher, a shopkeeper or a driver in the diaspora is practising kirat karo when the earning is honest, the work is done with focus, and no one is cheated along the way. The teaching also asks for truthfulness at all times, so honest speech is part of honest earning. It sits beside the other two pillars: Naam Japo, remembering God, and Vand Chhakna, sharing what you earn.

What are the three pillars of Sikhism?

The three pillars are Naam Japo, Kirat Karo and Vand Chhakna. Naam Japo is remembering God through meditation and reciting the Name. Kirat Karo is earning honestly by hard work. Vand Chhakna, also written Vand Chhako, is sharing what you have with others. Together they link prayer, work and sharing in one daily way of life.

Is kirat karo only about farming or manual work?

No. The sources describe earning by physical and mental effort, so study, office work, trade and skilled trades all count. What matters is not the kind of job but how it is done: diligently, honestly, and without exploitation or fraud.