Q: Can you read too many Banis?

No.

It’s not a competition. Guru is looking for quality not quantity. It’s about love. Yes, we should be doing our five Banis and even increasing it from there.

There is a story of a guy was doing more and more paath. He came to Baba Harnam Singh and asked why he wasn't spiritually expanding. Babaji was surprised, and didn't understand why his avastha (spiritual understanding) wasn't expanding. Babaji said let’s ask the Guru. They did an ardas and Guru Gobind Singh appeared and said: "Tell him I don't care how many Banis he's reading. He must read it as if he's reading it to me. So there is a connection between me and the Sikh." So the Sikh is reading it to the Guru.

This Sikh felt that he didn't have the ability to read it to the Guru. So Babaji recommended that he read it so he can listen to himself, to the sound of his own voice. So basically this guy had been reading his paath, but his mind was elsewhere. He wasn't focusing.

After that, he tried to spend his time reading his paath clearly, and listening to the sound of it himself. I personally have tried to slow down because I'm enjoying it more after learning the meanings. if you enjoy the wisdom and the sound, it works together. Focus on being present while you are saying it.

There is no such thing as reading too much Bani. You should read as much as you can. But there needs to be a focus on understanding it, experiencing it, and being present when you recite it.

Spirituality is real. If it’s not working for you, you should find out why. Talk to someone and get advice.