ਸਲੋਕ ॥ ਨ ਚ ਰਾਜ ਸੁਖ ਮਿਸਟੰ ਨ ਚ ਭੋਗ ਰਸ ਮਿਸਟੰ ਨ ਚ ਮਿਸਟੰ ਸੁਖ ਮਾਇਆ ॥
ਮਿਸਟੰ ਸਾਧਸੰਗਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਨਕ ਦਾਸ ਮਿਸਟੰ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਦਰਸਨੰ ॥੧॥

This salok from Siri Jaitsree kee Vaar lists 3 such things that everyone thinks are sweet but they are not and then lists the actual 3 things that are very sweet.

ਮਿਸਟੰ means sweet. The last ਮਿਸਟੰ is Dehli Deepak i.e. is attached to ਦਾਸ as well as to ਪ੍ਰਭ ਦਰਸਨੰ .

3 non-sweet things:

1) The enjoyment or pleasure of having a kingdom (Raaj Sukh).
2) The sensual pleasures and other kinds of Bhogs like eating etc.
3) The pleasures of Maya e.g. money etc.


3 Sweet things:

1) Living in Sadhsangat is sweet.
2) Hari-Daas (Bhagat) is sweet.
3) The vision or Darshan of Vaheguru is sweet.



3 Non Sweet Things

Regarding having kingdom, Guru Sahib has written in Gurbani that even if one is the king of whole universe (almost an impossibility to happen) still he would be happy only when he chants Naam:

ਸਗਲ ਸ੍ਰਿਸਟਿ ਕੋ ਰਾਜਾ ਦੁਖੀਆ ॥ ਹਰਿ ਕਾ ਨਾਮੁ ਜਪਤ ਹੋਇ ਸੁਖੀਆ ॥

The kings live a life of extreme tension and most of the times they are unable to enjoy the pleasures of Maya that commoners enjoy effortlessly. If they do enjoy the pleasures of Maya, then they do it at the cost of losing their kingdom. There is a saying that goes, “Tapo Raaj, Raajo Narak”. From tapp or bhagti they get Raj but once they get Raj, they commit so many sins that they end up in hell.

Regarding sensual pleasures and bhog, Siri Guru jee has made a great statement in Raag Siriraag:

ਜੇ ਲਖ ਇਸਤਰੀਆ ਭੋਗ ਕਰਹਿ ਨਵ ਖੰਡ ਰਾਜੁ ਕਮਾਹਿ ॥ ਬਿਨੁ ਸਤਗੁਰ ਸੁਖੁ ਨ ਪਾਵਈ ਫਿਰਿ ਫਿਰਿ ਜੋਨੀ ਪਾਹਿ ॥੩॥

Even if you enjoy 100,000 women and become the king of whole of Earth, still without attaining or adopting Satguru you will never get Sukh (happiness) and you will take birth in different life forms again and again.

The whole world today seems like is driven by Kaam. Everywhere Kaam is pradhaan (chief). Just look at the advertisements pasted all over the place. Even if they are selling shoes or a car, they still require the assistance of Kaam to sell it. They will show half naked woman (or man) to sell it. In the pankiti above Guru Sahib has made it clear that Kaam will never make one happy. Same is true for all pleasures of Maya.

Now the question is how to rid ourselves of the pleasures of Maya. There is only one way. The mind (that is the enjoyer of all pleasures) has to get engaged in something else and something superior to the existing Rass or pleasure. Mind must be occupied by something. If it is not to enjoy the pleasures of Maya, then it must be tuned to some other pleasure (higher pleasure) in order to make it stable. This other pleasure is the pleasure or Rass of Naam and Gurbani. We should strive to get the Rass of Naam so that our mind may truly stop going after the pleasures of Maya. Until we reach the state of Naam Rass, our mind can never be said to be stable. It may lie low for some period of time, till we are keeping rehit and engaging in the service of Naam and Gurbani but until we reach the state of Naam Rass, it will bite us like a serpent, at first instance it gets a chance to raise it’s hood.


3 Sweet Things

The 3 sweet things listed by Guru Sahib are Sadh sangat i.e. divine congregation, Hari-Daas and Darshan of Vaheguru. Hari-daas here according to Bhai Sahib Vir Singh jee means Siri Guru Nanak Dev jee or Satguru jee. Divine congregation is sweet because it is in this congregation or sangat where we get to sing praises of Vaheguru in form of Akhand Kirtan or hear praises in form of Siri Akhand Paath Sahib or japp Gurmat Naam along with doing the aforementioned. Prabh Darshan is of course sweet as described by Guru Sahib in baani and by Gursikhs like Bhai Sahib Gurdas jee and Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh jee in their writings.

May we save ourselves from the 3 not-sweet things and may we attain the 3 sweet things listed by Guru Sahib in this salok.

Gurbani is Agam Agaadh Bodh. The above is based on my meagre understanding. There is a possibility of many mistakes in the above.

Daas,
Kulbir Singh