There are three Sanskrit words: sukha, joy; duhkha, sorrow; and Sakha, companion. These have one thing in common: kha, which means senses.
The Self experiences the world through the senses. When the senses are with the Self, that is sukha (joy), because the Self is the source of all joy or pleasure. When the senses are turned away from the Self - in the mud, lost in an object - that is duhkha (misery). Mud, misery, mind - they are all connected.
Sukha is the nature of Self. And all sense objects are a diving board to take you back to the Self. You close your eyes in a pleasant experience: when you smell a flower, when you taste or touch something nice. Sukha is that which takes you to the Self.
Duhkha is that which takes you away from the Self. Sorrow means that you have been caught in an object that has pulled you off your Self.
Sakha is the companion who is there for you in all experiences of sukha and duhkha. Knowledge is your companion, and the Master is the embodiment of Knowledge. If you are stuck in an object, his wisdom pulls you out and leads you back to your Self.
Sakha (sa-kha) also means He is the senses. Sakha is one who has become your senses. It means you get Knowledge through him; he is your sixth sense. As you trust your mind, so you trust him. Usually a friend is an object of your senses, but a Sakha has become your senses.
Sakha means, “He is my senses, I see the world through his wisdom.”
Your head will be in the mud in a few years; in the meantime, don’t put mud in your head while you are still alive! See through the eyes of the Master and you will see the whole world as divine.
Excerpts from the book An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
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