Japji Sahib is the opening composition of the Guru Granth Sahib, the central scripture of Sikhism, and the prayer Sikhs recite at the start of each day. It is the spiritual foundation on which the rest of the scripture rests.
It opens with the Mool Mantar — the seed statement of Sikh belief — and moves through a sequence of stanzas that trace the soul's path from doubt toward union with the One.
Where it comes from
Japji Sahib was composed by Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1469–1539), the founder of Sikhism, in Gurmukhi. It was later placed at the very beginning of the Guru Granth Sahib by Guru Arjan, and remains the most recited Sikh prayer in the world.
Key themes
Ik Onkar — the One
There is one universal Creator, beyond birth and death, self-existent and present in all. The whole prayer flows from this opening truth.
Naam — the divine Name
Remembrance of the Name is the heart of the practice — a way of keeping the One present through the noise of daily life.
Hukam — divine order
All that happens moves within Hukam, the Creator's will. To recognise and accept it is to find peace and shed the ego's restless demands.
The soul's ascent
The later stanzas describe realms the seeker passes through on the way to truth — a map of inner growth from effort to grace.
Why read it today
Japji Sahib is at once a profound theology and a daily devotional rhythm. Even outside the Sikh tradition, its insistence on one humanity under one Creator — and its calm acceptance of divine order — offers a grounding way to begin a morning.
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Guru Nanak's morning prayer on the One Creator and the soul's journey.
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What is Japji Sahib about?
It is Guru Nanak's morning prayer on the nature of the One Creator (Ik Onkar), the power of remembering the divine Name, acceptance of divine order (Hukam), and the soul's journey toward truth.
Who wrote Japji Sahib?
It was composed by Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1469–1539), the founder of Sikhism. It forms the opening of the Guru Granth Sahib and is recited daily by Sikhs around the world.
What is the Mool Mantar?
The Mool Mantar is the opening statement of Japji Sahib and of Sikhism itself — a concise declaration of the One, timeless, self-existent Creator. The rest of the prayer expands on it.