Which Guru composed the Sukhmani Sahib?

Guru Arjan composed the Sukhmani Sahib, one of the best-known devotional compositions in the Guru Granth Sahib.

The work is also called Gauri Sukhmani because it is associated with the Gauri musical measure. Its title is commonly understood as “Prayer of Peace” or “Jewel of Peace,” reflecting its emphasis on remembrance of God, inner calm, and spiritual discipline. Sikh tradition places its composition at Amritsar around 1602, before Guru Arjan compiled the Adi Granth.

Sukhmani Sahib contains 24 ashtpadi, or major sections. Each section has eight padas, and the complete recitation commonly takes about an hour to an hour and a half. It appears in the Guru Granth Sahib from Ang 262 to Ang 296.

A common mix-up is confusing its composer with Guru Nanak, whose Mul Mantar appears at the beginning of the text and whose hymns are included throughout Sikh scripture. Guru Arjan, the fifth Sikh Guru, also compiled the first authoritative Adi Granth and installed it at Harmandir Sahib in 1604.