''Nitnem'' () is a collection of

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

hymns (''

Gurbani Gurbani (, pronunciation: , lit. the Guru's words) is a Sikh term, very commonly used by Sikhs to refer to various compositions by the Sikh Gurus and other writers of Guru Granth Sahib. In general, hymns in the central text of the Sikhs, the Gu ...

'') to be read minimally 3 different times of the day. These are mandatory and to be read by every

Amritdhari The term ''Khalsa'' refers to both a community that follows Sikhism as its religion,Khalsa: Sikhism< ...

Sikh as expressed in the

Sikh Rehat Maryada Rehat ( Punjabi: ਰਹਿਤ, alternatively transliterated as Rehit, Rahit, or Rahat) refers to the rules and traditions which govern the unique Sikh lifestyle and determines correct Sikh orthodoxy and orthopraxy. The Sikh Rehit Maryada( Punjabi ...

. Optionally additional prayers may be added to a Sikh's ''nitnem''. There are five

hymns A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

''( Five Banis)'' to be done during ''

Amrit Vela Amrit (), the classical Marathus (, ''Marathos''), was a Phoenician port located near present-day Tartus in Syria. Founded in the third millenniumBC, Marat (, ) was the northernmost important city of ancient Phoenicia, with relations to nearb ...

'' (early morning), the '' Rehras Sahib'' hymn for the evening and '' Kirtan Sohila'' for the night. The morning and evening prayers should be followed by an '' Ardaas''.

Five ''Banis''

The initiated Sikh is asked by the

Panj Piare Panj Pyare (, ', the five beloved ones) refers to a gathered ad hoc quintet of five baptised (''Amritdhari'') Khalsa Sikhs who act as institutionalized leaders for the wider Sikh community. Function The Panj Pyare are convened for pressing ma ...

during the

Amrit Sanchar Amrit Sanskar (, pronunciation: , lit. "nectar ceremony") is one of the four Sikh Sanskaars. The Amrit Sanskar is the initiation rite introduced by Guru Gobind Singh when he founded the Khalsa in 1699. A Sikh who has been initiated into the ...

ceremony to recite the following five banis () as a commitment to the

Sikh Gurus The Sikh gurus (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ; Hindi: सिख गुरु) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established the religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year ...

and

Waheguru ''Waheguru'' (, pronunciation: , literally meaning "Wow Guru", figuratively translated to mean "Wonderful God" or "Wonderful Lord") is a term used in Sikhism to refer to God as described in ''Guru Granth Sahib''. It is the most common term to re ...

. The ''banis'' are also recited daily, starting in the early morning (

). Through time, the "five banis" has come to mean different things to different groups of Sikhs.

Morning prayers

Japji Sahib ''Japji Sahib'' (, pronunciation: ) is the Sikh thesis, that appears at the beginning of the '' Guru Granth Sahib'' – the scripture of the Sikhs. ''Jap'' is the original name of the prayer and to show respect, it is called ''Jap ji Sahib''. I ...

Jaap Sahib Jaap Sahib (or Japu Sahib; , pronunciation: ) is the morning prayer of the Sikhs. The beaded prayers were composed by the Tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh and is found at the start of the Sikh scripture Dasam Granth. This Bani is an impor ...

Tav-Prasad Savaiye The (Gurmukhi: ਦਸਮ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ''dasama gratha'') is a collection of various poetic compositions attributed to Guru Gobind Singh.

* Chaupai Sahib *

Anand Sahib Anand Sahib (Gurmukhi: ਅਨੰਦ ਸਾਹਿਬ ''anada sāhiba'') is a collection of hymns in Sikhism, written in the Ramkali Raag by Guru Amar Das, the third Guru of the Sikhs. It appears on pages 917 to 922 in Guru Granth Sahib Ji. The w ...

As per the Sikh Code of Conduct, Sikhs are only required to recite

, & the Ten Sawayyas in the morning. Many Sikhs, including those who follow the lifestyle of the Damdami Taksal & AKJ, believe that Chaupai Sahib &

are also required in the morning prayers. Sometimes this is referred to as the Five Banis. These prayers are recited between 2 - 6 AM. These morning prayers are required to be followed by the Ardas.

Daytime prayers

Five Banis can also refer to

, Ten Sawayyas, Chaupai Sahib, &

in the morning, along with Rehras Sahib and Kirtan Sohila in the evening, which are the five minimum prayers to be recited daily by any amritdhari

Khalsa The term ''Khalsa'' refers to both a community that follows Sikhism as its religion,Khalsa: Sikhism< ...

, as per the Sikh Code of Conduct.

Evening prayer

* Rehras Sahib * Ardas This prayer is recited after sunset and takes about 8–12 minutes to recite. This evening prayer is required to be followed by the Ardas.

Night prayer

* Kirtan Sohila Sahib Some Sikh schools of thought also recite Rakhiya De Shabad before Kirtan Sohila. This prayer is recited before going to bed and takes about 5–12 minutes to recite. This night prayer is not required to be followed by the Ardas.

Other prayers

Nitnem is typically read from a ''gutka'' (Sikh Prayer book) or ''pothi'' (wider rectangular book), of which the main forms are the

Panj Granthi A Panj Granthi () is a small booklet which contains five hymns chosen from Guru Granth Sahib. Description The Guru Granth Sahib is very sacred so it can only be recited in a prescribed ritualistic manner. Small anthologies called Gutka Sahib o ...

(5 main scriptures from Guru Granth Sahib) and the Das Granthi (main scriptures from Dasam Granth). The Sundar Gutka (A larger gutka containing a mix of many compositions, lit. Beautiful Gutka) is also common in Sikh households. Other prayers commonly read are: *

Sukhmani Sahib Sukhmani Sahib (), known under the title of Gauri Sukhmani in the scripture (named after the Gauri (raga), Gauri raga musical measure it belongs to), is usually translated to mean ''Prayer of Peace'' is a set of 192 ''Pada (foot), padas'' (stanz ...

* Asa di Vaar *

Aarti ''Arti'' () or ''Aarati'' () is a Hindu ritual employed in worship, part of a ''Puja (Hinduism), puja'', in which light from a flame (fuelled by camphor, ghee, or oil) is ritually waved to venerate Hindu deities, deities. ''Arti'' also refers t ...

Sidh Gosti Sidh Gosti (, pronunciation: , , lit. discourse with Siddhas), also spelled as Sidh Goshti, Sidh Gosht, or Sidh Gosat, is a famous spiritual interfaith dialogue between Guru Nanak and Nath Siddha, Siddhas. The composition is present from Ang 938 t ...

* Uggardanti * Shabad Hazare Patshahi 10

References

External links

*
Complete Nitnem
' *
All Nitnem Path (Nitnem Prayers) in Punjabi, Hindi, English
' {{Sikhism Sikh practices Dasam Granth Sikh prayer Reading of religious texts