Chinmaya Mission Orlando

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My Bala Vihar

Overview

Chinmaya Mission Orlando will be conducting the annual Geeta Chanting event on April 11. This year's event will be based on Chapter 2, "Sankhya Yoga".

Event Details

The date will be finalized later. Depending on the Balavihar class that the child is in, the recommended number of verses to be memorized is as follows. The child may learn more than the minimum number listed and earn bonus points for doing so.

Gods and Goddesses, ABC of Vedanta – Verses 1 through 10
Shree Hanuman, Saints and Sages, Bala Ramayana, Bala Bhagavatam – Verses 1 through 20
All other classes – Verses 1 through 38

General Information and guidelines

-- Children should be in proper attire. Indian outfit is preferred.
-- Children are advised to do 'Namaskar' to the altar in general, to the judges and audience
-- Children should speak up loudly when asked to tell their names, age and how many verses they know
-- Children should show confidence, boldness, eagerness and enthusiasm
-- Children who chant more than required verses will get bonus points
-- Geeta Chanting MP3 is available for download in the resources section below.

Please note that children are encouraged to take part in the competition even if they do not know the required number of verses for their age group.

Registration

Registration is now closed

Resources

To assist with the preparation, we are providing the text of the chapter in English transliteration. Audio rendition of the chapter by Swami Brahmananda is also being made available in two formats - a full length version that contains the entire chapter or smaller snippets containing individual verses. Please left click on the links below to access these or right click to download and save on your machine.

General pronunciation guidelines (courtesy of Chinmaya Mission Tri-state center)
Chapter 2 text - English transliteration (PDF)
Chapter 2 audio - MP3 (full length)
Chapter 2 audio MP3s by verse - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is this really a competition and won't the children get stressed out by it?
A: It is important to emphasize that the only goal here is to introduce the children to the world of the Geeta. Therefore, anyone who participates is already a winner and we give medals to all the participants. At the same time, we also recognize the top performers in each age group. As long as the goal and spirit of the event are properly explained to the children, they will not be stressed by it.

Q: If the children don't know the meaning of the verses, is there any point in chanting?
A: Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda has composed a little couplet in Sanskrit that elegantly answers this question, See his quotation on the right. The English translation is - "From this recitation of the Bhagavad Geeta arises the desire to know its meaning, which in time matures into Knowledge that results in total fulfillment." As he explains, what is memorized today may spark a search for knowledge tomorrow or sometime in the future. When that happens, the knowledge will then stand them in good stead.

Q: Why should the verses be memorized?
A: Our scriptures and history have been passed down to us through an oral tradition that goes back thousands of years. Here we are continuing that tradition which is an important part of our heritage. Our ancestors had prodigious powers of memory and transmitting the knowledge verbally through the Guru-Shishya parampara allowed for a level of intimacy and proficiency that would not be possible through written materials. Similarly, chanting the Geeta verses by reading from a book will not provide long-term benefits because the contents will not register deeply. By memorizing the verses, we are planting seeds that will bear fruit at a later time.

Q: If parents don't know how to chant or don't know the meaning of the verses, how can they help their children?
A: This is a great opportunity for adults to learn chanting by listening to the audio available on this site. They can also read Swami Chinmayananda's book "The Holy Geeta" which provides the meaning and detailed commentary on each verse.

Q: Children are so busy with school work and other activities. When will they have time to learn this?
A: We are teaching chanting to all children during their regular philosophy classes. But this does need to be supplemented by some practice at home and even a few minutes each day will help in this regard. If even that cannot be arranged, then one option may be to play the audio in the car during commutes or other car rides. It is amazing how much children are able to pick up by listening and chanting along.

Q: Children are already forced to learn so many other things these days, so will this not be an undue burden for them?
A: Children are born with limitless potential. There are so many children in our center who have been participating in this event for years while continuing to excel in their academic endeavors and other extra curricular activities. We have had participants from under 3 years of age all the way up to high school students on the verge of graduating.