The evening bani: nine shabads at its core from four Gurus, the SGPC sequence set in 1945, and why no two traditions recite quite the same Rehras.
Rehras Sahib is the Sikh evening prayer, recited after sunset as the working day closes. Its core is nine shabads from the Guru Granth Sahib, five gathered under So Dar and four under So Purakh, composed by Guru Nanak, Guru Ram Das and Guru Arjan. The SGPC's Sikh Rehat Maryada of 1945 sets the sequence that follows, running through Chaupai Sahib, a Savaiya and Dohra, selected pauris of Anand Sahib, and closing with Mundavani.
| Composed by | Guru Nanak, Guru Ram Das and Guru Arjan at its core, with Guru Gobind Singh and Guru Amar Das in the fuller sequence |
|---|---|
| Where it sits | Drawn from the Guru Granth Sahib, with Chaupai Sahib and a Savaiya from the Dasam Granth |
| Structure | Nine core shabads: five under So Dar, four under So Purakh, followed by the sequence set out below |
| When recited | After sunset, as the working day ends; the hour moves through the year with the light |
| How long | Commonly 20 to 30 minutes, longer in traditions reciting the extended form |
| In Nitnem | The evening bani of Nitnem in every Sikh tradition |
Rehras marks the turn of the day. It is recited when work stops and the light goes, and its themes follow from that hour: the day counted out, the shortness of a life measured in days like it, and a petition for what remains.
The core is older and smaller than what most gurudwaras recite today. Five shabads sit under So Dar, three by Guru Nanak, one by Guru Ram Das and one by Guru Arjan. Four sit under So Purakh, one by Guru Nanak, two by Guru Ram Das and one by Guru Arjan. Around that core the SGPC's 1945 Rehat Maryada fixed a fuller order, adding Chaupai Sahib, a Savaiya and Dohra, the first five pauris and the last of Anand Sahib, and Mundavani with its salok. Later tradition in some quarters added roughly fifteen further compositions again.
Because it falls at an hour when a household is home, Rehras is the bani most often recited by a family together rather than alone. In a gurudwara the evening kirtan runs into it and ardas follows. It is also the bani a diaspora family is most likely to hold onto: morning Nitnem at Amrit Vela loses to shift work and the school run, while Rehras at dusk survives the move abroad.
The oldest layer of Rehras, drawn wholly from the Guru Granth Sahib.
| Section | Shabads | Composed by |
|---|---|---|
| So Dar | 5 | Three by Guru Nanak, one by Guru Ram Das, one by Guru Arjan |
| So Purakh | 4 | One by Guru Nanak, two by Guru Ram Das, one by Guru Arjan |
Traditions reciting the extended form add roughly fifteen further compositions to this order.
| Order | Component | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | So Dar, through to the close of the So Purakh section | Guru Granth Sahib |
| 2 | Chaupai Sahib (Kabiyo Bach Benti Chaupai) | Dasam Granth |
| 3 | Savaiya and Dohra | Dasam Granth |
| 4 | Anand Sahib, the first five pauris and the last | Guru Granth Sahib, Raag Ramkali, by Guru Amar Das |
| 5 | Mundavani and its salok | Guru Granth Sahib, by Guru Arjan |
The sequence recited as Rehras is not the same everywhere, and the difference is one of extent rather than substance. The SGPC's Sikh Rehat Maryada sets the order above; the Damdami Taksal and the Akhand Kirtani Jatha recite an extended form with further compositions added around the same core. All of them keep the nine shabads of So Dar and So Purakh. A devotee who finds a gurudwara's Rehras running longer or shorter than the one they grew up with has not found a wrong one.
Sevahey does not perform paths. No Sevak recites Rehras Sahib for you, and this page carries no text, transliteration or recording of the bani. What Sevahey arranges is an ardas at a gurudwara, described below.
In most gurudwaras the evening Rehras is followed directly by ardas, and that ardas is where a devotee's name and request are spoken aloud before the Guru Granth Sahib. When you cannot be there, a verified Sevak attends the gurudwara you name, gives your name and gotra to the granthi so the ardas is offered for you, receives the hukamnama read after it, and sends proof the same day.
Rehras Sahib is the Sikh evening prayer, recited after sunset as the working day closes. Its core is nine shabads from the Guru Granth Sahib, five under So Dar and four under So Purakh, composed by Guru Nanak, Guru Ram Das and Guru Arjan, with a fuller sequence set around them by the SGPC's Sikh Rehat Maryada.
Under the SGPC sequence: the So Dar and So Purakh shabads, then Chaupai Sahib, then a Savaiya and Dohra, then the first five pauris and the last pauri of Anand Sahib, closing with Mundavani and its salok. Traditions reciting the extended form add roughly fifteen further compositions around that order.
Rehras Sahib is not a single composition. The nine core shabads are by Guru Nanak, Guru Ram Das and Guru Arjan. The fuller sequence adds Chaupai Sahib and a Savaiya by Guru Gobind Singh, Anand Sahib by Guru Amar Das, and Mundavani by Guru Arjan.
After sunset, at the hour the day's work ends, so the time shifts through the year with the light rather than falling at a fixed clock hour. It is the evening bani of Nitnem in every Sikh tradition.
Commonly 20 to 30 minutes under the SGPC sequence. Traditions reciting the extended form take longer, since they add around fifteen further compositions.
Yes. Chaupai Sahib follows the So Dar and So Purakh sections in the sequence set by the SGPC's Sikh Rehat Maryada of 1945, and is recited within Rehras in every tradition. Many Sikhs also recite it among the morning banis.
Because the sequence around the core differs by tradition. The SGPC's Rehat Maryada sets one order; the Damdami Taksal and Akhand Kirtani Jatha recite an extended form. All keep the nine shabads of So Dar and So Purakh, so the difference is of extent rather than substance, and a longer or shorter Rehras than the one you know is not a wrong one.
No. Sevahey does not perform paths and no Sevak recites a bani for anyone. In most gurudwaras Rehras is followed by ardas, and that is what a verified Sevak can request in your name: your name and gotra spoken before the Guru Granth Sahib, with the hukamnama and same-day proof sent to you.
Choose the gurudwara, name your sankalp, receive the proof.
* Sevahey does not perform paths. A full seva is ₹899; sevas start from ₹251. Sevahey is a service platform and does not promise a spiritual, medical, financial, legal, or personal outcome from any prayer or ritual.