It is essential that in pursuing of a life of truth, the means employed should be equally good. Many people have the right goal, but they try to reach it by the wrong means. According to Guru Nanak,, the right means alone, make the attainment of a goal worth-while. Earn your living All of us try to earn our living, one way or the other. Guru Nanak, emphasised honest labour or the use of fair and right means for earning one s living.
Some people live on crime, some on the exploitation of others, and others by begging and parasitism.
Some who devoted themselves to so-called holy or spiritual pursuits, like ascetics, mendicants, sanyasis, and yogis were criticised by the Guru for neglecting this duty of earning their own living. Guru Nanak set his example by working as a store-keeper and later as a farmer. Whatever he earned was partly spent on his family and partly, on supplying the needs of the poor and helpless. He established a colony of workers at Kartarpur where work and worship were combined to promote simple living and high thinking. Apart from working, the Guru exhorted his disciples to set aside some part of the earnings for charitable and welfare project, to show a concern for the community.