About 5,894 hymns (shabads) make up the Adi Granth, each one a jewel in Sikh devotional music. They’re not scattered willy-nilly, though—these shabads follow a finely tuned orchestra of musical measures called rāgas. Picture a playlist organized by mood and melody: the Granth kicks off with the five banīs (Japjī, Jaap, Tav-Prasad, Chaupai, Anand), then dives into rāga after rāga, from Sri Raga’s serene dawn light to Maru’s contemplative evening tones.

Within each rāga, the shabads are grouped by author—Sikh Gurus first, then Bhagats like Kabir and Farīd, followed by Bhat poets and other saints—so readers feel a natural flow of voices. Pages run from Ramkali, Asa, Gujari Todi and beyond, covering 1,430 angs (leaves) in all. On any given morning at the Golden Temple, when kirtan fills the air, hymns might drift seamlessly from Guru Nanak’s verses into Bhatt Sundar’s or Kabir’s wisdom, all thanks to this musical arrangement.

That structure has stood the test of time—having marked the 550th Prakash Utsav in November 2023 with non-stop recitations, the global Sikh community once again marveled at how these thousands of lines remain so accessible. Each rāga section feels like a chapter in a vast spiritual novel, guiding hearts through joy, longing, courage, and peace. It’s a design that turns reading into listening, devotion into a shared concert across centuries.

Whether one is flicking through a pocket edition or joining a live-streamed kirtan, the Adi Granth’s organization by rāga and author ensures every hymn lands on the right note—an invitation to connect, reflect, and celebrate the mosaic of voices that built Sikhism’s timeless songbook.