To inculcate in children the values and virtues from our Vaidic culture to form a noble character.
“To help children Learn with Fun;
To Delight like the Moon and Shine like the Sun.”
"Love is to the human heart what sunshine is to the flowers."
Being the visionary that he was, Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda saw that in the hi-tech urban civilization both sunshine and love would be hard to come by. Anticipating this need, he started the Bala Vihar-s. A group of 10 to 25 children meet at a certain place on a weekly basis and the children and the sevaks/sevikas learn the art of living in love, the Hindu way. The idea is to provide an environment where the personality of the child blossoms in a spontaneous way. Good conduct, emotional refinement, intellectual finesse and spiritual awareness are developed by mature sevak-s through fun and play, and through stories and bhajans. Sometimes it is through tears, but more often through smiles; sometimes through strictness, but mostly by persuasion. The children are encouraged to be responsible, alert and sensitive members of society. Pujya Gurudev believed that just as the strength of a wall depended on the quality of each brick, so too, the health of a society depended on the individuals. If the individuals are healthy, the society is healthy. His strategy for building a new society was to "Catch 'em young.”
Today, there are hundreds of Bala Vihar-s in India and abroad operating under the supervision of Chinmaya Mission centers.
Besides the regular classes, day camps, three-day camps, art classes, competitions and summer youth camps are arranged from time to time.
The CMSD Bala Vihar classes are taught by trained sevaks and sevikas.
Day: Every Sunday
Time: 8:45 to 11:00 AM
The prayer books are:
- Grades KG, 1: CMSD Handbook
- Grade 2: CMSD Handbook and Chinmaya Book of Hymns
- Grades 3 and above: Chinmaya Book of Hymns
Classroom texts: To be announced by CMSD at the assembly.
CMSD Sunday Assembly Prayers- Page no.s in the Chinmaya Book of Hymns
Please note that there are two "Chinmaya Book of Hymns". One that stopped printing in 2015 (called "old" here) and other started in 2016 and has "Sacred hymns to spread your wings" on the cover page (called "new" here).
Vakratunda mahakaya: (old) p. 13, 14 -v.3 (new) p. 12, 13 -v3
Sarasvati namastubhyam: (old or new) p.3, 4
Gururbrahma: (old) p.49, 50- v.3 (new) p.42, 43 - v3
Sricinmaya yatishasya: (old) p.10,12-v.6 (new) p.10, 11-v.6
Samasta jana kalyane: (old) p.10,12-v.7 (new) p.10, 11-v.7
Sada vasantam guru pada padme
Om tryambakam yajamahe - Mahamrtyunjaya mantra: (old or new) p.6, 8
Om saha navavatu – shanti mantrah : (old) p.6, 8 (new) p. 5, 7
Gurustotram: (old) p.48, 50 (new) p. 42, 43
Janmadina gitam
Ganesa arati
Chinmaya Arati: (old) p.271 (new) p. 240, 241
Closing prayers: (old) p.7, 9 (new) p. 6,8