Gita Chanting Competition

CHANT GITA… ENCHANT KRISHNA!
Bhagavad Gita Chanting Competition – Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015
Chapter 15 - Purushottama Yoga
For Children Ages 4-15
At Chinmaya Bharati, 1088 Ogilvie Road, Ottawa, ON K1J 7P8
As part of the Birth Centenary Celebrations of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda, (May 8, 2015 – August
3, 2016), Chinmaya Mission Ottawa welcomes children ages 4–15 to participate in a Gita Chanting
Competition.
Bhagavad Gita consists of Words of Wisdom spoken by Sri Krishna to Arjuna, composed by Guru Veda Vyasa,
then written down (only after first grasping the meaning of each verse!) by Sri Ganesha, and actually practised
by great people from all walks of life.
Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda breathed and lived the philosophy of Sri Krishna. He devoted his
lifetime in spreading the knowledge of the Gita worldwide through written commentaries and innumerable
discourses (Gita Jnana Yajnas) that have inspired millions of people. One of his visions was that every child
should learn to chant the Gita verses. He started the Gita Chanting program for Bala Vihar children, and
nurtured it over the years. The program has grown ever since.
Gita Chanting Competition is Pujya Gurudev’s brainchild to motivate children around the world to learn to
chant Gita verses with the progressive strategy to chant-study-know-live the Gita. This competition later
expanded to include all age groups. The Gita Chanting Competition, annually conducted in regional Chinmaya
Mission centres worldwide, has seen over six million participants!
Benefits of Gita Chanting: Improved Memory, Concentration, Patience, Perseverance, and Presentation Skills
are some of the many benefits of Gita Chanting!
Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda said: “From the recitation of the Bhagavad Gita arises the desire to know
its meaning, which in time matures into knowledge that results in total fulfilment.”
Participants’ Age Group and Number of verses to memorize:
Group Age (as of Jan. 1, 2015)
A
4 to 6 years
B
7 to 9 years
C
10 to 12 years
D
13 to 15 years
Verses
1 to 12
1 to 20
1 to 20
1 to 20
Registration: Registration begins on Friday the 8th of May and closes on Tuesday, 30th of June, 2015.
Registration is free of cost. Please send the completed form by email to [email protected] .
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Rules of the Competition:
• The participant has to be registered.
• The participant is expected to memorize all the verses as stated above for her/his age group.
• The participant draws a card at random which has the starting verse number and gives it to a judge. The
judge will then recite the first two to three words of that starting verse.
• The participant will begin chanting, starting with those first few words of the starting verse. After the
starting verse the participant will be required to chant a certain number of additional consecutive verses
(this number is same for each age group).
• The verses must be chanted in correct order.
• The participant must pronounce the words clearly so that the judges can hear well.
Judges’ Criteria for Evaluation :
Memory: Ability to chant the specified verses without any break, hesitation, or confusion
30
Pronunciation: Ability to chant the verses with correct and clear pronunciation
50
Presentation: Posture, confidence, mannerism, sincerity of effort, etc.
10
Overall Effect: Respectful and prayerful attitude and feeling
10
Total Marks:
100
(The tune is not a criterion for judgement, although the tune will help the child to memorize more easily)
DECISION OF THE JUDGES WILL BE FINAL AND NO APPEAL WILL BE ENTERTAINED AT ANY LEVEL.
Chapter 15 Script: The PDF provides all the verses, in English and in Devanagari script
Guidelines for correct pronunciation provides guidelines to pronunciation of Sanskrit to English
transliteration.
Chapter 15 Audio Files: Our Thank You’s to Pujya Swami Dheeranandaji, the Acharya of the Chinmaya
Mission, Washington DC, who chanted the verses beautifully with beginners in mind. The audio provides
slow-paced rhythmic chanting with clear enunciation of all the verses individually, and of the chapter as a
whole.
Tips to prepare for the Competition:
Pronunciation: Please pay close attention to pronunciation as you listen to the audio and then practice. You
may wish to record yourself and play it back to hear your own voice.
Practice Makes Perfect: Practise regularly. Listening and chanting several times makes it easier.
Right Attitude: Right attitude helps. Be sincere, patient, perseverant and enthusiastic. Enjoy the very
learning. Guess what? As you learn chanting, there are thousands of children of your age learning the very
same verses at the same time worldwide!
Above all, isn’t it thrilling that YOU are chanting the very same ancient Words of Wisdom that were spoken
more than 5,000 years ago by the enchanting Sri Krishna Himself?
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Contact Details:
Bina Sutarwala
Anu Ram
Gita Parekh
613-591-5961
613-747-8564
613-738-7466
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Hari Om!
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