Gītā Chanting Competition 2026

Chinmaya Mission UK are pleased to invite all families to join our annual Gita Chanting Competition. This year, we have two categories:
Category 1 – Chapter 12 of the Bhagavad Gita titled “Bhakti Yoga” or “The Yoga of Devotion”. Pujya Gurudev, Swami Chinmayananda, defined Bhakti Yoga as the path of intense, single-pointed love and devotion, leading to union with the Divine. He emphasized it as a method of transforming all actions into divine love by surrendering the ego, purifying the heart, and seeing God in all.
Category 2 – Gita Panchamrit containing five verses, drawn from different chapters, that summarise the essence of the Bhagavad Gita. To learn more, please visit https://chinmaya75.org/amrit/gitapanchamrit
Participants can choose to participate in either or both categories.
The competition will be held on Saturday, 3rd October, 2026 at Chinmaya Kirti, 2 Egerton Gardens, London NW4 4BA.
For more information, please contact us at krishnan@chinmayuk.org
The competition is open for the entire family and all age groups. For children, Chapter 12 verses are assigned based on their school year as of Sep 2025. They are welcome to learn additional verses but will be mainly tested on the verses based on the age group.
|
School Year (as of Sep 2025) |
Chapter 12 ślokas |
|
Pre-Reception |
1-5 |
|
Reception to Year 2 |
1-10 |
|
Year 3 – 5 |
1-15 |
|
Year 6 and above |
1-20 |
|
Adults |
1-20 |
The Gita Panchamrit category will include all five verses and meaning for all age groups.
Register Here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/chinmayamissionuk/2075948
FAQs
1. Is this event open to people in all countries ?
The event is open to those living in UK or Europe. If you live outside UK/Europe, please visit your local Chinmaya Mission centre for details of similar events happening in your area.
2. How will participants learn the verses / meaning?
Gita Chanting is taught as part of our Bala Vihar, Shishu Vihar and Jr. Chyk classes. In addition, we offer the following modes of learning:
- Weekly online chanting classes on Sundays. For details, please join – https://chat.whatsapp.com/ICheWrwCoOu7gyjjGaJW55?mode=gi_t
- Self-study – please find audio recordings and pdf on this page
3. What are the benefits of chanting?
Pujya Gurudev, Swami Chinmayananda, conducted over 500 Gita Jnana Yagnas. By participating in this event, children and adults gain the precious opportunity to carry forward His work as well as creating a positive vibration within themselves and the environment around. Chanting offers several benefits. A few are listed below:
a. Develops pure saṁskaras (impressions) and helps purify the mind
b. Chanting vibrations produce a positive impact on the individual and the family
c. Could inspire children to explore the meaning of the teachings in our scriptures
d. Provides exposure to the Sanskrit language and promotes a sense of cultural identity
e. Enables us to develop our memorization skills and develop and use our memory bank
f. Equips us with tools that may be used in meditation e.g. ability to sit erect with minimal physical movements, the ability to collect our thoughts and focus our mind.
4. Will the competition be held in person?
Yes. The competition will be held on Saturday, 3rd October, 2026 at Chinmaya Mission’s UK centre in Hendon. If you live outside the UK, please let us know and we will make alternate arrangements.
5. What are the evaluation criteria for the competition?
For Chapter 12, the scoring will be based on the below criteria:
|
Category |
Weightage |
|
Memory |
40% |
|
Pronunciation |
40% |
|
Presentation |
10% |
|
Meter (Chandas) |
10% |
For Gita Panchamrit, the scoring will be based on the below criteria:
|
Category |
Weightage |
|
Memory |
40% |
|
Pronunciation |
40% |
|
Meaning |
20% |
6. What are the registration charges?
There are no charges for families attending Shishu Vihar, Bala Vihar and Jr. Chyk classes. For all other participants, registration amount is £10 per person.
7. Do participants have to learn both Gita Panchamrit and Chapter 12?
You are welcome to participate in either or both categories. There are no additional charges. If you are new to chanting, we encourage all participants to start with the five verses of the Gita Panchamrit that capture the essence of Bhagavad Gita.
