The Siri Guru Granth Sahib, the living Guru of the Sikhs, opens with a “pre-Raga” section that precedes the Raga section.
The pre-Raga section contains three well-known Sikh banis or prayers.
The first is Japji Sahib by Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru, which opens the Siri Guru Granth Sahib and is found on “Ang” (pages) 1-8.
The second is a portion of Rehras Sahib, the Sikh evening prayer. The “So Dar” and “So Purkh” from Rehras Sahib are found on Ang (pages) 8-12 of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib.
The third is Kirtan Sohila, the Sikh bedtime prayer containing compositions from three of the Sikh Gurus, found on Ang (pages) 12-13.
In sum, the pre-Raga section of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib contains the following:
- Japji Sahib by Guru Nanak: Ang (pages) 1-8
- Part of Rehras Sahib (So Dar and So Purkh): Ang (pages) 8-12
- Kirtan Sohila: Ang (pages) 12-13
~Resources: this information was originally shared in the book Victory & Virtue: Ceremonies & Code of Conduct of Sikh Dharma (2001) by the Office of the Bhai Sahiba of Sikh Dharma of the Western Hemisphere and “Structure of Guru Granth Sahib” (SikhiWiki).
