Sometimes we get confused because Gurbani gives inner happiness or Sukh as the goal of the spiritual journey, yet there are verses such as the one above where various ailments of life arise because of Sukh. Let’s understand the difference.
The inner Sukh is the stability that we are supposed to have within, the one that comes about from contentment and gratitude.
Whereas the other Sukh is pleasure, and most of us are actually seeking that. Pleasure is false happiness. Research shows that people who focus their energy on superficial pleasures end up more anxious, more emotionally unstable, and more depressed. Pleasure is the most superficial form of life satisfaction and therefore the easiest to obtain and the easiest to lose. But pleasure, while necessary in small doses, isn’t sufficient by itself. Pleasure is not the cause of happiness; rather, it is the effect.
Happiness or true Sukh is the altered state of mind, not to be confused with pleasure. We might find the pleasure of sleeping on the most comfortable and expensive mattress in the world, but if we lack inner stability or gratitude for the things we have and are worried about certain things in life, we might not be able to catch a night’s sleep even on the best mattress.
