Let us take a moment to look in the mirror today. Can we define Bad Money?

My Gurudeva describes Bad Money as any money earned in an adharmic way, such as through bribes, tax evasion, or income gained from actions like abortions or divorces, among others. He even emphasized that bad money given to temples is not beneficial to the temple or institution itself.

Now, let me share a few of my personal experiences with Bad Money, remembering the law of cause and effect (i.e., karma). Each of us must pay the price for our actions. Many may recall the movie Indian, which highlighted the impact of bribes and a corrupt system.

I’ve faced situations where I was asked to pay bribes. One instance was when I tried to collect my child’s birth certificate, and another involved a traffic police officer threatening me for what he called dangerous driving (when, in fact, I was only pushing my bike across a doorway). The feeling after paying those bribes was “Oooauk!”—I couldn’t believe such corruption exists.

During the time when people prepared proofs for IT filing, before I got married, I submitted false rent receipts signed by friends, couple of occasions. This was Bad Money I contributed to the system. Looking back at this, I felt “Oooauk!” for doing that just because most of friends were doing that point in time.

Another instance was when we sold a house in Salem: the buyer insisted we accept part of the payment in cash to help them avoid taxes. When we bought the same house in 2004, the builder demanded all payments be made in cash. As a middle-class family (an excuse used by many, including us), we did what was needed to fulfill our dream of owning our first home for my parents.

Later, while building a house in Bengaluru, the builder went bankrupt. We endured significant losses of time and money, a clear example of karmic retribution. We cannot blame others for these experiences; they are consequences of our own actions. Mother Earth gives back what we give. If we do good, we receive good; if we do bad, we face dire consequences. A good price to give for the “Oooauk!”.

When I met my Guru, as part of the formal initiations, each shishya was required to go through Maha Vasana Daha Tantra—a deep cleansing of one’s past sins, followed by penance and prayachitta (atonement). We then committed to living by dharmic principles.