Heres an anecdote from Sikh History. Period around later 18th century...immediately after the Battle between the forces of Afghani invader Ahmad Shah Abdali and the Sikhs. The Complete SIKH KAUM was surrounded by the Afghani Forces far superior in numbers and after a full day of intense battle nearly HALF the Sikh Kaum - men, women and children were MASSACRED in this WADDA GHALLUGHAARA. The rest of the wounded sikhs, men women children the elderly etc etc wlaked away in the darkness and gathered at a place not far away from the battlefield. They set up camp, did whatever necessary..BUT most importantly Parkash the SGGS, did kirtna and Rehrass and Jassa Singh Ahluwaliah performed Ardass..and said the words...Teri Razaa vich chaar pehar DIN SUKH poorvak bateeh hoyah, ate arz hai aa rahee Raat de chaar pehr SUKH vich bateet hoven. ( Past day has passed in SUKH and we pray the coming Night will also pass in SUKH). The Afghani Spy who was in this camp, is said to have dropped to his knees and begged forgiveness for his spying and asked this question...Khalsa Ji..what is this you just said in your ardass ? Day in SUKH ?? We massacred half of you and they lie dead on the battlefield, the other half are here most mortally wounded and may not last the night, you have no food, no clothes and yet you said the Night will also pass in SUKH ? With such types its futile for me to carry on spying as its not going to help me or my masters. IF all this is SUKH..then whats DUKH ?? Jassa Singh replied..we forgive you for your past spying. As for SUKH and DUKH..these small wounds, death, etc etc are just BODILY pains ..which have no effect on us...we DONT call these DUKH. "DUKH" for us is when we FORGET HIM..forget our Creator and are separated from His Name..His Yaad..His Memory escapes our minds..that DUKH....and thats what we asked HIM to NOT allow us to have. The Afghan spy later on chhak pahul and joined the Sikhs saying..its you who is going to rule this countryside..
The TROUBLE with the SIKH KAUM TODAY is that we have joined the rest of the world in defining DUKH as body pain, diseases, loss of jobs, loss of limbs, loss of wife, loss of IZZATT !! etc etc..and SUKH as having all those...health, wealth, "izzat" etc. We FORGOT what the GURUS taught us...imagine a SIKH of Guur Gobind Singh ji BEGGING Him for a "son"....see the IRONY ?? The GURU who sacrificed his FOUR STRAPPING HANDSOME GROWN UP SONS for the Sikhs..and said..Chaar mooeyeh to kia hooa jeevat kaee hazaar...HE SAW his sons in all of us..we cannot even see OURSELVES in the GIRL CHILD we MURDER IN THE WOMB....and then shamelessly go to HIM..and beg for a "son" ?? WE beg Him for long life for our father and mother..from Him who sent His father to be sacrificed at age 9..who sacrificed his mother for us...?? We beg Him for MONEY...when He shunned wealth and Palaces for a place among the Common people..the POOR and the DOWNTRODDEN..who we CHASE OUT of our Gurdwaras and Homes as dirty/filthy/beggars !! Are we on the Same Planet as HIM ?? I seriously Wonder !!! The SUKH He taught us is REAL..the one we seek is ILLUSIONARY as the desert's mirage (mirag chhalaa)