Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Princely pleasures are not sweet; sensual delights are not sweet; the pleasures of illusion are not sweet.
The company of the good is sweet, servant Nanak; the sight of the One is sweet.
The Vaar turns now from what is false to what is sweet — and redefines sweetness entirely. All the things the world calls sweet — royal pleasures, sensual delights, the enjoyments of Maya — Guru Arjan calls not sweet, because their sweetness disappoints and fades (the bitter melon of P28). What is truly sweet is the Sat Sangat and the darshan of the One. This is not denial that pleasures feel pleasant; it is a deeper taste-test: only the company of the good and the sight of the One leave a sweetness that stays. The palate has been re-educated to know real sweetness from the kind that turns bitter.
What things seem 'sweet' but leave you empty afterward? What kind of sweetness actually stays with you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI