The Gīta Chanting program began as a Bala Vihar activity, but has now expanded to include the participation of all age groups.
The Gīta was Swami Chinmayananda’s life breath. He wanted the Lord’s Song to echo among people of all ages and across all continents. He envisioned the chanting competitions as a doorway to life-long friendship with the Gita byway of the progressive strategy to chant-study-know-live the Gita. Children, parents, and grandparents have thus been encouraging each other to participate in this healthy competition, of which the underlying goal is spiritual evolution.
Why chant Gīta?
Why Chant Gīta? Swami Pujya Guruji Tejomananda gives a beautiful answer in the video below.
Gīta Chanting Resources
Resources
☸︎ The Chapter 2 ślokas (pdf) can be downloaded here
☸︎ CMW Video Chanting Guide: Chapter 2 ślokas 1-38
(each video below covers 2 ślokas)
☸︎ Additional resources from Chinmaya Mission West
Syllabus for 2020-21
Syllabus for 2020-21:
Sankhya Yoga (Yoga of Knowledge)
Chapter 2: Verses 1-38
Gīta chanting is taught during Sunday Assembly.
Mid-Year Gīta Chanting Evaluation
This serves as a preview for the final competition. The in-class evaluation is scheduled for January 17, 202. Participants chant individually, in front of a moderating panel.
Gita Chanting Competition
This will be conducted during class time, tentatively on May 16, 2021.
| Class | Verses for evaluation Mid Year (Jan 9, in class) | Verses for evaluation End of Year (May 15, in class) |
|---|---|---|
| Shishu Vihar | ||
| Bharadwaj Class | 39-46 (8 verses) | 47-54 (8 verses) |
| Dhruva Class | 39-49 (11 verses) | 50-60 (11 verses) |
| Sandeepany Class | 39-52 (14 verses) | 53-66 (14 verses) |
| Vyasa Class | 39-55 (17 verses) | 56-72 (17 verses) |
| Shankara Class | 39-55 (17 verses) | 56-72 (17 verses) |
| Chinmayam Class | 39-55 (17 verses) | 56-72 (17 verses) |
| Adults | 39-55 (17 verses) | 56-72 (17 verses) |
Evaluation Criteria
The Rules and Judges’ Scoring Rubric may been downloaded here
Other Resources
pdf documents and audio files are available here
Notes:
- Participants are required to chant from memory.
- Verbal prompting may be given by JUDGES ONLY
- As per the Chinmaya Mission west rules, there will strictly be NO SECOND PROMPTING. In order to encourage participants to chant all verses that they have learned, judges will give a second prompt when asked. However, the verses chanted after second prompt will NOT be considered towards the final score.
- Marks will be deducted for mistakes – Refer to “Pronunciations” section of Evaluation criteria manual.
- It has been observed that most participants are chanting all the assigned verses for their grade, In those scenarios, the pronunciation/confidence/diction play the major role in the final scores and determining the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place recipients.
- To avoid conflict of interest:
- Judges/GITA teacher(s) are excluded from competition.
- They can participate in the chanting session, but won’t be scored.
- Judges do NOT evaluate members of their own family.