Gurbani Prakash
Read Along
Nitnem, read and heard together
The daily banis with the recitation running alongside the text, so you can follow the words rather than guess at the pace.
What Nitnem is
Nitnem means the daily rule. It is the set of banis a Sikh reads at fixed points in the day: in the hours before dawn, in the evening, and before sleep. The practice is the repetition rather than any single reading of it.
The banis, and when they are read
Before dawn
- Japji Sahib, by Guru Nanak Dev Ji
- Jaap Sahib
- Tav Prasad Savaiye
- Benti Chaupai Sahib
- Anand Sahib, by Guru Amar Daas Ji
Evening
- Rehras Sahib
Before sleep
- Kirtan Sohila
The reader carries Sampuran, Nanaksar and Damdami Taksal arrangements, so you can follow the maryada you keep rather than a single fixed order.
On the hour before dawn
Japji Sahib names the time and says in the same breath what belongs in it.
ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਵੇਲਾ ਸਚੁ ਨਾਉ ਵਡਿਆਈ ਵੀਚਾਰੁ ॥
a(n)mrit velaa sach naau vaddiaaee veechaar
In the Amrit Vaylaa, the ambrosial hours before dawn, chant the True Name, and contemplate His Glorious Greatness.
Amrit vela is the last watch of the night. What the line specifies is not the waking but what the waking is for. More on amrit vela.
How the read along works
Choose a bani, press play, and the word being recited stays lit while the rest of the line sits quiet. Tap any word and the audio moves to it. The timing data is downloaded once per bani and then works offline.
It helps most with pronunciation, with keeping pace when you are learning a bani, and with reading when there is no Gutka Sahib to hand.
Recitations are by Bhai Jarnail Singh Ji and Giani Mehnga Singh Ji, sourced from publicly available recordings and used for devotional, non-commercial purposes only.