Bala Vihar
Bala Vihar is a weekly gathering for school-aged children conducted by Chinmaya Mission Centers all over the world. The goal of Bala Vihar is to “wake up the sleeping giant” in our children.
We aim to inspire each one to reach their maximum potential by imparting a value-based education that is bursting with fun-filled activities. Each class follows a central, age-specific curriculum developed by senior Archaryas of the Chinmaya Mission.
The children are taught by a team of trained and dedicated volunteer teachers, many of whom have experienced Chinmaya Bala Vihar in their childhood, and are now actively attending courses in Vedanta offered by the Mission.
Mission Statement
“To help children learn values with fun,
to delight like the moon and shine like the sun”
Value of Bala Vihar
Bala Vihar enhances the overall development of the personality of a child at all levels — physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual.
To understand the value of the Bala Vihar classes for children, we paraphrase the words of our Guruji Swami Tejomayananda:
- To teach children about our ancient culture and heritage, so they understand their roots
- To create self-confidence and leadership skills to serve and act cheerfully
- To provide a loving atmosphere where children grow with noble ideals, healthy emotions and the ability to put these ideals into action
Here is a wonderful video about Bala Vihar by Swami Sarveshananda:
“Children are not vessels to be filled, but lamps to be LIT. The seed of spiritual values should be sown in young hearts, and the conditions made favourable for sprouting and steady growth through proper control and discipline. It must be cared for with the warmth of love and affection, and such a tree shall blossom forth flowers of brotherhood, universal love, peace, bliss, beauty, and Perfection”
– Swami Chinmayananda
Shishu Vihar
Shishu Vihar is for infants and toddlers, accompanied by their parents. Expectant mothers are welcome too!
Shishu Vihar helps to develop the spiritual aspect of the young child’s personality by focusing on culture and values. An early introduction to spiritual life has a formative impact their character in years to come. Classes follow a modern structure of playgroups where babies and toddlers learn through simple stories from the Scriptures. They sing Bhajans and nursery rhymes, play games to develop motor skills and participate in arts and crafts that foster mental personalities in an atmosphere of love and knowledge.
Shishu Vihar – Preschoolers
This is a class for children of ages 0 to 4. This precious age is one where children are innocent and full of life. Simple, but fundamental values and love for Bhagavan is introduced through our curriculum inspired from our Gods and Goddesses. It is conducted in a playgroup structure with parents/guardian attending with the children. Children learn through songs, prayers, stories, and other age appropriate activities. It is a loving, comfortable environment for young children to explore and learn.
Chanting: Vakra thunda * Sarasvati Namastubhyam * Guru Brahma
Bharadwaj – Kindergarten
Our Kindergarteners build on their introduction to Gods and Goddesses. Children start to explore the symbolism expressed through our various Gods and Goddesses, and focus on fundamental values. Children are introduced to the wonder of Vedanta in an age-appropriate manner through hands-on activities and demonstrations. They learn that just because something is not seen does not mean that it is not there. Therefore, our minds need to be focused to see the beauty within all of us.
Chanting: Opening Prayers
Prahalada – Grade 1
Through the Ramayana, the world’s oldest epic, Lord Rama teaches us the values of the perfect person. These children track the path of Lord Rama from childhood to marriage to exile to the war with Ravana, culminating in his crowning as King. Embedded in the story is so much symbolism. How are the 3 pairs of brothers in the Ramayana different? What attracts Vibhishana to Lord Rama? Why is Hanuman Ji the greatest devotee, and how can we be like him? The children will amaze you with their deep appreciation of the glories of Lord Rama
Chanting: Dainika Parthana
Dhruva Class – Grade 2
Curriculum based on learning about Hanuman inspires our 2nd graders to adopt the virtuous qualities that made Hanuman ji great. It helps children develop faith in Bhagavan; that Hanuman ji will protect and guide them through all life’s circumstances.
Chanting: Sri Rama Stotram
Sandeepany Class – Grade 3 and Grade 4
This beautiful curriculum encourages children to introspect on the importance of our Gurus. Who we are and what we know is because of our teachers. Anyone or anything can be our teacher if we have humility and the right attitude to recognize them. Children learn from nature, one of our best teachers.
Chanting: Gurustotram
Vyasa Class – Grade 5 and Grade 6
The 5th and 6th graders cover two texts. Both are based on the Ramacharitamanas. Saint Tulasidas in a few beautiful caupais has shown us where God resides (Ayodhya Kanda). The curriculum encourages children to expand their understanding of God – his omnipresence. We all can become an address of God if we assimilate the right values.
Caupais from Lanka kanda show us what are the Keys to success. What is the key to success? How do we define success? Children learn the importance of quieting our mind and sharpening our intellect, and the means to do so.
Chanting: Mahalaksmyastakastotram
Shankara Class – Grade 7 and Grade 8
This curriculum teaches our children about our culture, and provides deeper insight on how to lead a happy life. Gurudev proclaimed: “Man’s control of nature external is civilization. His control of nature internal is culture”. Using the knowledge from the vedas how can we modify our inner behavior to channel our energy in the right nammer. Children will learn to focus their attention on the spiritual culture rather than material culture to accomplish the goal of life. Children learn about what is our goal of life as presented in Hindu Culture; what is the means to happiness, and the pursuit of self-knowledge.
Chanting: Lingasthakam
Chinmayam – Highschool
Our high-school curriculum aims to bring the salient points of each chapter of the Bhagavad Gita to enable children to learn the key messages and apply it in their lives. Curriculum consists of the story of the Mahabharata as a prelude to the Gita. Children will use Gurudev’s book of the Holy Gita for reference. Through discussions and examples from daily life, the teachers gently guide the children in searching for answers to their questions.
Chanting: Gita Dhyanam
Stotradhārā
Stotradhārā is a chanting program where children and adults are taught to correctly chant sacred Strotrams. The goals of the program are to teach correct chanting form, to comfortably read Sanskrit Transliteration, improve the Medha Shakti i.e memory and thereby increase the students’ confidence in chanting.
Students are grouped into classes by age and experience level. Please check the calendar for class timings.
CMS follows the curriculum used at Chinmaya Mission Los Angeles, home to our guiding Swamiji: Swami Ishwarananda. Recordings of each Strotra may be found on their page (https://chinmayala.org/stotradhara).
We are grateful to CMLA for freely sharing their resources to guide us in this endeavor.
Swaranjali (Children & Adults)
Chinmaya Swaranjali is the music wing of Chinmaya Mission and was formed by a group of musicians inspired by our Guruji Swami Tejomayananda. Swaranjali is dedicated towards exploring the world of devotional music and spreading love and bhakti through melodious and soulful bhajans and kirtans.
With the grace of Pujya Grurudev, we inaugurated Swaranjali in January 2018 here at our center at CMS. We offer lessons every Sunday in the following format. Students will learn bhajans in the praise of different deities throughout the year often tying in with our festivals. They also get to perform at pujas and during Assembly.
| Grades | Time |
|---|---|
| JR Swaranjali (grades 1 – 4) | 2:15 – 2:45pm |
| SR Swaranjali grades (5 -12) | 2:15 – 2:45pm |
| Adults | 4:45 – 5:15pm |
Hindi
This class is for children of ages 5 to 12.
- In the beginers class, kids will learn the Hindi alphabet (swar and vyanjan), counting, names of the colors, fruits, vegetables, and relationships.
- Intermediate-level kids will learn mantras and differentiate the words as nouns, adjectives, and adverbs.
- Advanced-level kids will be able to form sentences in Hindi and learn how to have a conversation in Hindi.
The language in imparted to the kids of all levels through games, rhymes, songs and stories!
Gīta Chanting
The Gita chanting class is a weekly class conducted in addition to the chanting taught in the general assembly. Students learn to chant and memorize the verses from the Bhagavad Gita chanting curriculum in a systematic manner with repetition and individual attention. The goal of the class is not only to learn the verses, but to find joy in chanting the divine song of the Lord.
Keerthana Kanagaraj
Keerthana has been part of Chinmaya Mission Seattle since 2015. She grew up in Melbourne, Australia where she was first exposed to the vibrant Chinmaya Mission family as a young child. While she was not a Balavihar student, her family attended many Chinmaya Mission organized Jnana Yagnas with her parents. She had many friends who attended Balavihar, and saw first hand the contribution Balavihar education makes to develop well rounded individuals with a higher vision of life, who bring joy to those around them, and go on to be strong contributors to society.
She joined Chinmaya Mission Seattle in 2015 to give the same experience for her two children. She also joined Vedanta Study Group, and quickly realized the tremendous value of being part of the Chinmaya Mission family. She has completed the Foundation Vedanta Course, and continues to attend workshops, and study groups to develop her knowledge. She was a teacher in Vyasa class for a number of years, as well as coordinating the CMS seva program, and is now transitioning to serve as the Balavihar coordinator. She is grateful for the opportunity to be part of Chinmaya Mission.
Nithya Subramanian
Nithya has been associated with Chinmaya mission since 2016. She has 2 daughters of her own who attend Balavihar.. She has completed her Waldorf teacher training in Early Childhood and loves to be amongst young children. She is grateful for having found the Chinmaya family and enjoys celebrating festivals as a community. Other than working with children she enjoys being in nature, practicing yoga and playing volleyball.
Remyaa Krishnan
Remyaa is a dynamic IT professional hailing from Coimbatore,India. She was a student of Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Coimbatore for 12 years. She feels blessed for growing up with Chinmaya Mission and believes that it had a very positive impact on her life. The summer camps, Bhagavad Gita chantings, Bhajan Sandhyas, Mathru Pooja, Bala Vihar classes are few things that she would cherish forever. Having lived in Mexico and now in Seattle,she joined this amazing team of Sevaks to facilitate growth and learning for the children.She enjoys travelling, cooking, singing and hiking.
Prathibha Nair
Prathibha was born and raised in Dubai where she attended Chinmaya Mission Bala Vihar and yagnas with her parents. She continued to attend and eventually teach in New York. After relocating to the west coast, Prathibha joined Chinmaya Mission Seattle in 2009 as a substitute teacher for Bharadwaj class and eventually teaching the Dhruva class. She is grateful to have Gurudev’s guidance and blessings.
Jyothi Bhamidipathi
Jyothi was born and raised in India. She has been associated with Seattle Chinmaya Mission since 2017. She lives with her husband and a son who is also part of CMS Seattle. She is a trained Carnatic singer and is going to be part of Kids Swaranjali from 2022. She is super excited and feels blessed to be part of Balavihar Teaching as she starts her journey as an assistant teacher for Bharadwaj class
Bhavani Sangameshwar
Bhavani grew up in Bangalore, India and was always associated with religious activities. She has been associated with Chinmaya Mission, Seattle since 2011 when her daughter started the classes. Since then, she always enjoyed being part of the learning process in Chinmaya Mission. She is passionate about teaching kids and engages them with interesting activities.
Ajita Gopikrishnan
Ajita and her family joined CMS in 2009, and she started teaching Bala Vihar children in 2011. She is looking forward to exploring “Bala Ramayana” with the Prahalada class this year. She feels blessed to be part of an inspiring group of teachers and sevaks at CMS, and for precious inspiration and insight the kids impart to us in every class!
Rekha Kurpad
Rekha has been a member of Chinmaya mission since moving to Seattle in 2012. She feels blessed to be part of the mission and thankful for the dedication and involvement of all the teachers and sevaks. She enjoys teaching children at Balavihar by providing them with an enriching experience of learning through stories, activities and moral values.
Rani Rao
She has a Bachelor’s in Architecture and Master’s in Urban Planning. She has always been keenly interested in Vedanta from a very young age. She was born in Bhārat, lived in Bhārat, Ethiopia, Thailand, and now settled in USA for past 25yrs. She and her family joined Chinmaya Mission Columbus, Ohio, around 2002. While her young daughters attended Balavihar, she and her husband started as Balavihar teachers and Board members. She completed Vedanta courses from CIF by 2006 and was adult study group coordinator, assembly lead, taught BG chanting and stotra chanting, coordinated family camps, fundraisers, bhikshas for visiting Swamijis. She feels blessed to have hosted many Swamijis at home. In 2004, she started studies on Vedas and Vedic chanting. She has also been researching into Sanātana Dharma and its many branches. She does consultations in Jyotisha and Vāstu. One year ago, she moved with her family to Seattle and joined CM Seattle in 2021. She is happy to be here and of any seva to Pujya Gurudev.
Krithika Mahesh
Krithika was introduced to Gurudev and the Chinmaya Mission in 2004 through a study group. She has been a Bala Vihar Sevak since then, teaching in San Diego and Chicago centers before coming to Seattle. She has three children who, she says, both provide her abundant joys and opportunities for Sadhana
Anant Sundaram
Anant grew up attending Bala Vihar in Mumbai. That experience combined with his family’s religious values have contributed to his interest in chanting, study groups, and bhajans. He is also interested in teaching which is why Anant is excited about taking lessons and learning from our Sandeepany class kids.
Hyma Murthy
Hyma has been part of Chinmaya Mission Seattle since 2016. She started teaching Vyasa class in 2021. She lives in Redmond with her husband and 2 kids who are part of BalaVihar. She is grateful to be a part of Chinmaya mission and have the opportunity to learn and teach young kids concepts of vedanta and the Gita.
Prachiti Dhamankar
Prachiti has grown up with Chinmaya Mission for as long as she can remember. It all started in the small town of Beaumont, TX when her newly emigrated parents just so happened to be in “the right place at the right time” and got introduced to a group of Chinmaya Mission devotees. The rest is history! She went on to Dallas during college and served under the loving guidance and friendship of Swami Sarveshanandaji. Reading “Kindle Life” by Gurudev, Swami Chinmayanandaji, remains as the pivotal moment which solidified her dedication and love for Chinmaya Mission, its teachings, and her own spiritual journey. She enjoys sharing this passion for Vedanta and our Gurus with all ages but especially youth and Balavihar students. She is so grateful for the countless blessings she has received over the years and very happy to join the wonderful Chinmaya Seattle family. Hari OM!
Vatsala Epari
Vatsala Epari has been part of the Chinmaya Mission Seattle wing since 2019. Vatsala grew up in Calcutta, India and as young child she was a Balavihar student. She has had wonderful experiences at Balavihar growing up (learning bhajans, Geeta Chanting, participating in annual day events) She attends Swaranjali for adults and enjoys singing bhajans and shlokas. She also does canvas painting and other forms of art as a hobby.
Annapoorna Murthy
Annapoorna (Anu) has been a part of Chinmaya Mission since 2016. She started teaching the Vyasa class in 2019. She is a physician and lives in Redmond with her husband and 2 daughters who also attend Balavihar. Growing up in Bharat, stories of Mahabharata and Ramayana were part of her childhood. She believes as a child if you listen to these stories, then in adulthood you can see the connection between them and the Gita. She is grateful and excited to be part of Chinmaya Mission and also to be on the spiritual quest of Vedanta.
Archish Sridhar
Archish has been a part of Chinmaya Mission since 1st grade. He has lived in Toronto, Boston, and Wisconsin before coming to Washington. Currently he is a sophomore in Electrical Engineering at UW.
Niranjan Jayanth
Niranjan grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and he attended Bala Vihar at Chinmaya Mission Yamunotri under the grace of Pujya Swami Sharanananda ji. By the end of his Bala Vihar days, he gained a broader perspective of what he had been learning and became interested in further study of Vedanta. After graduating high school, Niranjan continued involvement with Chinmaya Mission via CHYK. Since then, he has continued to attend CHYK study groups, and in 2018, he started teaching at the Yamunotri center. In 2019, he moved to Seattle and has been teaching the Chinmayam class along with co-coordinating CHYK Seattle.
Niranjan strives to grow in both bhakti and jnana. He enjoys music; vocal and instrumental. Niranjan is motivated to educate, empower, and encourage the youth to unlock their potential and happiness, just as he was growing up.
Mahesh Viswanathan
Mahesh has been part of the Chinmaya Mission since 2003. He was floored by the eloquent and logical style of Gurudev’s lectures and has been interested in learning more ever since.
Krithika Mahesh
Krithika was introduced to Gurudev and the Chinmaya Mission in 2004 through a study group. She has been a Bala Vihar Sevak since then, teaching in San Diego and Chicago centers before coming to Seattle. She has three children who, she says, both provide her abundant joys and opportunities for Sadhana
Anupama Subramanian
Anupama leads our Swaranjali Children’s group. She and her family have been with CMS since 2012 and was a Balavihar student herself for a few years when growing up in Mumbai & Chennai. She is trained in Carnatic music and enjoys singing and teaching bhajans with devotion to our Balavihar children.
Ganga Narayanan
Ganga leads the Swaranjali group for adults. She has been part of Chinmaya Mission Seattle since 2019. Born and brought up in Mumbai, India, she was always exposed to classical music and dance at a very early age. She is trained in Carnatic music and has performed at various cultural events and shows for many years now. She loves to sing light bhajans and enjoys teaching them to small kids and adults alike.
Jyoti Agrawal
Jyoti grew up in the northern part of India. She has been associated with Chinmaya Mission Seattle since 2013. She is a teacher for the Hindi class. She feels blessed to be part of the Chinmaya mission family.
Niranjan Jayanth
Niranjan grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and he attended Bala Vihar at Chinmaya Mission Yamunotri under the grace of Pujya Swami Sharanananda ji. By the end of his Bala Vihar days, he gained a broader perspective of what he had been learning and became interested in further study of Vedanta. After graduating high school, Niranjan continued involvement with Chinmaya Mission via CHYK. Since then, he has continued to attend CHYK study groups, and in 2018, he started teaching at the Yamunotri center. In 2019, he moved to Seattle and has been teaching the Chinmayam class along with co-coordinating CHYK Seattle.
Niranjan strives to grow in both bhakti and jnana. He enjoys music; vocal and instrumental. Niranjan is motivated to educate, empower, and encourage the youth to unlock their potential and happiness, just as he was growing up.
Sujatha Aswath
Maybe it is the fact that she is an architect, but Sujatha’s impeccable attention to detail is evident in every job that she takes on. She has been Chinmaya Mission Seattle’s coordinator since 2017, and previously played a principal role at the Milwaukee Center. She has proved to be nothing but an apt instrument to soldier on Gurudev’s work. She has attended workshops, yagnas, national and international Chinmaya Mission camps and year long online study group discussions over the years. Not only has she been consistent in tasting these bits of Vedanta but has been relishing it’s essence and rejoicing in sharing it further. Leading by example, she inspires her team to uphold the Chinmaya Mission’s standard. Exuding a fierce kindness, it’s hard for anyone who knows her not to have a special place in their heart just for her.
Vasavi Tankala
Vasavi has been part of Chinmaya Mission Seattle since 2018. She grew up in Kolkata, India. During the formative years of her early life, she was a balavihar student in the local Chinmaya Mission. She still has fond memories of the Sevikas of her Balavihar class, and taking part in the bhajan, chanting and fancy dress competitions. Two decades later, she was blessed to have reconnected with the Mission and introduced her two children to Balavihar.
Vasavi joined the Vedanta Study Group to pursue the path of self development. It gives her great peace and happiness to be in the satsang of like minded people. She is currently undergoing the Foundation Vedanta Course under the guidance of Swami Ishwarananda and attends the various jyana yagnas. She is a Sevika in the Adult Study Group. Along with Sujatha ji, she helps in moderating the study group.
Saikumar Pollachi
Saikumar has been associated with the Chinmaya Mission from college days. Around the 1990s, had the opportunity to attend study groups and assist the mission with small services when his daughter was studying in Chinmaya Vidyalaya in India. After moving to the US in 2000, he had the opportunity to connect with Chinmaya Mission in New York and New Jersey. Moving to Seattle in 2017 was a divine blessing for his family to get closer to Gurudev’s works, teachings and Guru Bandhus.
Saikumar joined the Study Group to continue his sadhana along with Guru Bandhus. This is one of the closest encounters with the Grace of Guru Parampara for him and his family. He provides help on the web site as needed and treats it as an opportunity to provide small service to the center.