# Sukhmani Sahib Path

> Sukhmani Sahib is the composition of Guru Arjan known as the Prayer of Peace, occupying angs 262 to 296 of the Guru Granth Sahib in Raag Gauri Sukhmani. It runs to 24 ashtpadis, each opening with a salok and continuing through eight pauris, for 192 pauris in total, and it is read by occasion rather than at a fixed hour, most often through illness, bereavement or thanksgiving.

- **Composed by:** Guru Arjan (1563–1606), the fifth Guru, composed around 1602–03
- **Where it sits:** Angs 262 to 296 of the Guru Granth Sahib, 35 angs in Raag Gauri Sukhmani
- **Structure:** A mangal, then 24 ashtpadis; each opens with a salok and continues through 8 pauris of 10 lines, giving 192 pauris
- **When recited:** At no fixed hour, read by occasion and often in a group
- **How long:** 60 to 90 minutes read alone; a group path taking turns runs longer
- **In Nitnem:** Not a Nitnem bani. It is an occasional reading rather than a daily discipline
- **This page:** https://sevahey.com/paths/sukhmani-sahib/

## What Sevahey does not do

Sevahey does not perform paths and does not arrange a Sukhmani Sahib path with a gurudwara or a group of readers. No Sevak reads it for you, and this page carries no text, transliteration or recording of the bani. If you want a Sukhmani Sahib path held, ask the gurudwara your family attends: they arrange these routinely and will know the sangat.

This page explains the bani and does not reproduce it. Sevahey publishes no scripture text, transliteration, or recording; for the words themselves, read the Guru Granth Sahib or use a gurudwara's own resource.

## About Sukhmani Sahib

Guru Arjan (1563 to 1606) composed Sukhmani Sahib around 1602 to 1603, shortly before he compiled the Adi Granth. The name joins sukh, peace or ease, with mani, a pearl or jewel, and the bani is generally rendered as the consoler or pearl of peace. Its subject throughout is the settling of a mind that will not settle.

The organisation is exact. A mangal opens the composition, then 24 ashtpadis follow in sequence. Each ashtpadi begins with a salok, a couplet in a freer metre that states the theme, and continues through eight pauris composed in chaupai metre, each pauri running to ten lines. That gives 192 pauris across 35 angs, which makes Sukhmani Sahib the longest of the commonly recited banis by a wide margin.

Its place in practice is different from the Nitnem banis. Sukhmani Sahib is not tied to an hour and is not recited daily by rule. It is read when it is needed, which in most families means the sickroom and the hard season: through an illness, in the days after a death, before an operation, or when something has gone badly wrong. It is read in gladness too, after a recovery or at a birth.

Gurudwaras and sangats hold a Sukhmani Sahib path where a group reads it together, taking ashtpadis in turn and closing with ardas and karah prasad. Read alone it usually takes 60 to 90 minutes; a group path taking turns runs longer, and many families read it across several sittings rather than one.

## Sukhmani Sahib by the numbers

| Element | Count |
| --- | --- |
| Ashtpadis | 24 |
| Pauris per ashtpadi | 8 |
| Total pauris | 192 |
| Lines per pauri | 10 |
| Saloks | 24, one opening each ashtpadi |
| Angs in the Guru Granth Sahib | 262 to 296, so 35 angs |

## How Sukhmani Sahib differs from the Nitnem banis

|  | Sukhmani Sahib | Japji / Rehras |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Recited | By occasion, when needed | Daily, at a fixed point in the day |
| Hour | None prescribed | Amrit Vela and after sunset |
| Typical length | 60 to 90 minutes | 15 to 30 minutes |
| Usually read | Often in a group, taking turns | Usually alone, often from memory |
| Required by Rehat Maryada | No | Yes |

## Dates

- **1563–1606** — The life of Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru
- **c. 1602–03** — Guru Arjan composes Sukhmani Sahib
- **1604** — The Adi Granth is compiled and installed at Harmandir Sahib, with Sukhmani Sahib at angs 262 to 296

## What can be offered in your name

The occasions that bring a family to Sukhmani Sahib are the same ones they ask a gurudwara for an ardas at: an illness, a bereavement, a recovery, an anniversary. Where a path needs readers and hours, an ardas is a single petition offered by the granthi in your name and gotra before the Guru Granth Sahib. That is what a verified Sevak arranges at the gurudwara you choose when you cannot be there, with same-day proof.

- **Seva:** Ardas — https://sevahey.com/seva/ardas/
- **Performed by:** a verified, named Sevak
- **Proof:** GPS-tagged photos, the hukamnama where it applies, timing, and a handwritten note — usually same day

## Questions

### What is Sukhmani Sahib?

Sukhmani Sahib is the composition of Guru Arjan known as the Prayer of Peace, occupying angs 262 to 296 of the Guru Granth Sahib in Raag Gauri Sukhmani. It runs to 24 ashtpadis and 192 pauris, and its subject is the settling of a troubled mind.

### How many ashtpadis and pauris are in Sukhmani Sahib?

Twenty-four ashtpadis. Each opens with a salok and continues through eight pauris of ten lines each, giving 192 pauris in total across 35 angs. That makes it the longest of the commonly recited banis by a wide margin.

### Who composed Sukhmani Sahib and when?

Guru Arjan (1563 to 1606), the fifth Guru, composed it around 1602 to 1603, shortly before compiling the Adi Granth, which was installed at Harmandir Sahib in 1604.

### What does Sukhmani mean?

The name joins sukh, meaning peace or ease, with mani, a pearl or jewel. It is usually rendered as the pearl of peace or the consoler of peace, which matches the subject of the bani.

### How long does a Sukhmani Sahib path take?

Sixty to ninety minutes read alone, depending on pace. A group path where readers take ashtpadis in turn runs longer, and many families read it across several sittings rather than in one.

### Which ang is Sukhmani Sahib on?

Sukhmani Sahib begins at ang 262 and runs to ang 296 of the Guru Granth Sahib, 35 angs in total, set in Raag Gauri Sukhmani.

### When is Sukhmani Sahib read?

At no fixed hour. Unlike Japji Sahib or Rehras it is not a Nitnem bani and is not required daily. Families read it by occasion: through an illness, in the days after a death, before an operation, after a recovery, or at a birth.

### Can Sevahey arrange a Sukhmani Sahib path?

No. Sevahey does not perform paths and does not arrange one with a gurudwara or a group of readers. Ask the gurudwara your family attends, which arranges these routinely. What a verified Sevak can offer instead is an ardas in your name at the gurudwara you choose, with same-day proof.

Sevahey is a service platform. It does not perform paths, and does not promise a spiritual, medical, financial, legal, or personal outcome from any prayer, seva, or ritual.