• Date: April 11, 2026 (Saturday), 10 am - 5 pm
• Location: Chinmaya Sundaram
• Chapter: Bhakti-Yogaḥ (Chapter 12 - The Yoga of Supreme Devotion)

Competition Events

• Chanting and Reading Competition
• Learn Gita Vocabulary Quiz, and
• Reflective Writing Competition

As we observe the 75th anniversary of the Chinmaya Movement in 2026 ( Chinmaya Amrit Mahotsav), children and adults alike are warmly invited to participate in one or more events - exploring the Gita through chanting, understanding, and reflection - and offering their sincere efforts in devotion to Bhagavan Śrī Krishna and Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda.

In this milestone year, the Annual Chinmaya Gita Chanting Competition will extend beyond the center and regional levels to include State, National, and International competitions, with additional details to be shared in the coming months.

Who Can Participate?

• Pre-K through Grade 12 students who are registered in Chinmaya Mission Austin’s Bala Vihar
• All Adults

Participants may register in one or more of the competition events, based on age, interest, and eligibility.

Chanting and Reading Competition

Chapter 12 - Chanting Verse Assignments

Chanting Competition Format

All participants are required to chant the chapter opening:
om śrī paramātmane namaḥ. atha dvādaśo'dhyāyaḥ. bhaktiyogaḥ.

• Participants will chant all assigned verses from memory
• Participants must conclude with the partial closing:
  om tat sat śrī kṛṣṇārpaṇamastu

• Participants will chant from memory
• After chanting the chapter opening, all participants will chant verses 12.1, 12.2, and 12.3
• This will be followed by four rounds of chanting per participant
• At the start of each round, the first half of the first pādaḥ (quarter) of a verse will be read aloud as the prompt
• Based on the prompt, the participant must chant three consecutive verses, beginning with the prompted verse
• After completing the three verses, the participant will stop and wait for the next prompt.
• This process is repeated for all four rounds
• After the last round, all participants must chant the full chapter closing:
  om tat sat iti śrīmadbhagavadgītāsu upaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyāṁ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāde bhaktiyogo nāma dvādaśo'dhyāyaḥ śrīkṛṣṇārpaṇamastu

• 3 verses (12.1 - 12.3) at the beginning
• 12 verses across the four rounds

Reading Competition Format (Kaunteya, Mahābāho)

• Participants will chant all 20 verses of Chapter 12 by reading
• Participants must conclude with the full chapter closing:
  om tat sat iti śrīmadbhagavadgītāsu upaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyāṁ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāde bhaktiyogo nāma dvādaśo'dhyāyaḥ śrīkṛṣṇārpaṇamastu

Learn Gita -- Vocabulary Quiz

• Open to chanting and reading competition participants in Grades 1-12
• Written quiz format,
• Conducted at the same time as the chanting competition
• Based on vocabulary lists below

• Matsya Group (Grades 1 - 2) - Vocabulary List
• Kurma Group (Grades 3 - 6) - Vocabulary List
• Varaha Group (Grades 7 - 12) - Vocabulary List

Reflective Writing

• Open to Adults, and Bala Vihar students in Grades 9-12
• This is a standalone event and may be selected on its own, or in addition to the chanting event

• Reflect on one or more verses from Chapter 12 (verses 1–20)
• Study the word meanings, the verse meaning(s) and the associated commentary
• Then, submit a short reflective passage in your own words, addressing why you selected the specific verse(s), your insights and your key takeaways
• Maximum length: 500 words
• Submission format: PDF

Competition Registration

• Individual: $20
• Family of 2 participants: $35
• Family of 3 or more participants: $50

• Register up to 4 family members for one or more competition events
• If registering more than 4 family members, please email gita.chant@chinmayaaustin.org for instructions
• Register each family member for one or more competition events
• Pay the pledge amount

Note: If you do not already have a BestClass account, you will be prompted to create a login account before proceeding with registration

• Participation for PK–12 students is limited to children registered in Bala Vihar. Adults may participate without restriction
• Chanting/Reading Participants must select the appropriate Chanting Competition Group.
• After competition registration closes on March 22, all registered participants will be able to sign up for a 10-minute time slot

Questions / Support