ਮੋਹ

Moh (ਮੋਹ) is the Punjabi word for attachment: the clinging love for worldly possessions, status and people that clouds a person's judgment. In Sikh teaching moh is one of the five thieves (panj chor) that steal the mind's peace, alongside kaam, krodh, lobh and ahankar.

What does moh mean in Punjabi?

Moh means attachment, and in Punjabi it generally means love of and attachment to worldly things and relations. The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism also renders its older sense as becoming stupefied or bewildered: a person in moh stops seeing things clearly. Everyday Punjabi keeps a warmer edge to the word, because moh can name a strong pull toward loved people and things. It turns harmful when that pull becomes a grip that will not let go.

That double edge is why moh sits close to pyaar, love, but is not the same word. Pyaar is open handed affection that wants the good of the other person. Moh holds on tight: my house, my people, my name. Punjabis say moh pauna for forming an attachment, and moh vich phasna, to be trapped in attachment, when the holding on starts to run a person's life and choices.

Why is moh one of the five thieves?

Sikh teaching names five inner thieves: kaam (lust), krodh (wrath), lobh (greed), moh (attachment) and ahankar (ego). They are called thieves because they steal a person's common sense and peace. Moh earns its place because clinging to what cannot last, to possessions, relations and this passing world, is treated in Gurbani as a snare. It obscures clear sight, and it keeps the mind tied to what will change or be left behind.

What is the difference between moh and pyaar?

Pyaar is love that gives; moh is attachment that grasps. A parent can feel deep pyaar for a child and still let the child grow up and leave. Moh is the extra grip that says mine, and suffers whenever things change. That is why Sikh teaching praises love, daya (compassion) and seva (service), while warning against moh: the feeling itself is human, but the clinging is the thief.

How is moh used in everyday Punjabi?

In daily speech you hear bahut moh hai, there is great attachment, said of a grandparent for a grandchild, and moh maya, the everyday pairing of attachment with worldly illusion. People also say moh chhadna, giving up attachment, when someone stops clinging and accepts a change. Used gently, the word can sound almost tender; used in teaching, it is a warning.