Rehraas Sahib - A Journey for the Soul

Rehraas is one of the five Banis of Nitnem and is usually recited in the evening. It is a compilation of the Bani of

several Gurus.

The word Rehraas is a synthesis of two words, rah and raas. Rah is passage and raas is provisions i.e. provisions for the journey of life. This is a collection of nine hymns, four of which are written by Guru Nanak Dev ji, three by Guru Ram Das ji, and two by Guru Arjan Dev ji. All of these hymns are from Guru Granth Sahib. Also included in Rehraas are Chopeyee, one Swayya (verse), and one Dohera (couplet) by Guru Gobind Singh ji, six paurees of Anand Saheb (first five + the last) written by Guru Amar Das ji, and at the end two shabads by Guru Arjan Dev ji. These two shabads are also the last two shabads in Guru Granth Saheb. The recitation of “So Dar” which is the first Shabad in Rehraas, was started at the time of Guru Nanak Dev Ji as an evening prayer. That is why this path is also called „So Dar Rehraas‟. The shabad „So Dar‟ is also included in Japji Saheb with some variations but the central meaning is the same. In Rehraas, this shabad is assigned a particular Raag (Raag Asa), whereas in Japji Sahib it is Pauri 27 without any assigned Raag.