Mar 17, 20243 min read

5 Thieves of your Energy

In the Sikh Tradition , the 5 Thieves are the 5 main weaknesses of the human personality that make you live against your spiritual essence and occupy your mind in such a way that they steal all your energy. These 5 Thieves are kama (sensual appetites in general, of course, in excess), krodh (anger ), lobh (greed), moh (attachment) and ahankar (egoism).

If you are on a path of growth you have to combat them and deactivate them in order to evolve.

These thieves are already spoken of in the Vedas, but they are not grouped in this “panch” or group of 5.

The 5 thieves are interrelated in such a way that if you choose any one and defeat him, the others will also fall and stop bothering you.

Anyone who thinks they are free from them is mistaken because these thieves are in everyone equally. Derived from the 5 elements that make us up.

If we have the earth element that rules the 1st chakra, we have attachment. If we have water , an element of the 2nd chakra, we have sometimes uncontrolled sexual appetite . If we have fire, which governs the 3rd chakra, we can have anger. If there is air , an element of the 4th chakra, there are aspirations that can lead to greed.

The last thief, the Ego, is the leader of this gang of thieves.

The ego sets us this trap of making us believe that we are responsible for things happening, when the truth is that everything is done by Ek Onkar, the Creator, the laws of the Universe.

If something goes well the ego takes pride as if it were its achievement. If something goes wrong we blame ourselves and recriminate ourselves. This is a mistake. We are not the one in charge but the universe in its own laws makes us dance to its son.

The 5 thieves flourish thanks to the ego, which believes itself to be the king of the world, takes everything personally, takes credit for all actions. So if we think we can get our way, we insist on only one path, we get greedy, we get attached to the idea of how we want things to turn out, we get angry when something goes against our opinion or desires, and in the confusion, we entanglements and doubt, thieves have easy terrain to steal the time of our lives.

Now, however, if one lives in devotion to the One Creator principle in all, flowing in the Great Will of the Universe, working to develop gifts and talents, accepting the divine Will (Kirat Karo), meditating on the divine name (Naam Japo), participating in community service (Vand chakko), the 5 Thieves are eventually defeated. The 10 Gurus say, by adopting this daily routine and discipline, our actions become meaningful and rewarding and body and mind become purified.

Look how important the community life that Guru Naanak recommended is. As we reflect on others one day we will realize that the ego is a red herring that leads nowhere.

He who lives in expanded consciousness, in love of the Being who gives us everything, becomes wise and evils do not touch him. Such a person is not affected by pleasure and pain, not because he is insensitive, but because he has freed himself from the 5 thieves.