Adult Study Groups offered for Academic Year 2024-25 SG#1: Kindle Life  SG#2: Bhaja Govindam SG#3: Tattva Bodha SG#4: Manha Sodhanam SG#5: Bhagavad Gita (Chapter-3) SG#6: Bhagavad Gita (Chapter-6) SG#7: Bhagavad Gita (Chapter-14)   Who should attend? - Open to all Parents, Guardians, Adults and Youth.   Kindle Life (SG#1) is the First study class recommeded for all "New" members to the Chinmaya Mission (including those who started late in the last academic year; or old members returning after a long gap).   As a pre-requisite, signing-up for any study class (i.e. from SG#2 to SG#7) requires completion of the prior study classe(s).    For questions, guidance please contact Sri. Sunil Narayanan or Sri.Venkata Ramana Namboori  

Students who have completed Kindergarten to rising 8th graders are eligible to attend this camp.   This will be a full day camp from 9:00 am - 4:30 pm conducted in our beautiful Vrindavan Ashram. In our 7+ acre property nestled between farmlands, we offer a state-of-the-art facility with clean, bright, air-conditioned and spacious classrooms as well as safe, fenced expansive outdoor playing areas.    The camp will be taught by teachers trained in Indian Knowledge Systems, steeped in discipline and devotion to Sanatana Dharma. Classes will be fun, interactive and age appropriate including stories from our scriptures, bhajans, debates to help children understand and inculcate values and much more. Our camp will also serve freshly prepared vegetarian lunches and snacks daily. Camp runs for 7 weeks from June 30th - August 15th. No camp on Friday, July 4th.   Cost per child per week = $400 5% discount for siblings registering in the camp 10% discount (from weekly price of $400 will be refunded back to your credit card) if registering upfront for 4-6 weeks. 15% discount if registering upfront for all 7 weeks (discount is reflected in full camp price of $2380 per child).   Please Note: No Refunds will be issued for cancellation for any reason.

  Presided by Swami Sharanananda   Daily Activities, Stories, Skits, Quiz, Games, Arts and Crafts, Fun Fair, Cultural Program and more.   Grand Finale with Cultural Program and Lunch on Jul 20, 2025.   Camp fee includes lunch and snacks daily   Pre-program care available 8:00 am to 9:00 am   Post-program care available 4:45 pm to 6:00 pm   https://mychinmaya.org/summercamp/

Support Chinmaya Vrindavan by becoming a Parivaar member ($1200/year). Please add $450 to your Balavihar registraion. Thank you for your support!

Adult Study Group Attendees:  Open only to registered Balavihar families or Parivaar/Sevak members   Time:  7:00 - 8:45 pm Fridays on Balavihar weekends   The Vedanta 201 study group is targeted towards intermediate students in Vedanta and  introduces the foundations and glossary of our scriptures in a structured and systematic way.   Vedanta is the science of life. It shows us the gateway to peace and happiness. To understand this subtle science, knowledge of certain terms and concepts is mandatory. With striking examples and ingenious poetry, Atma Bodha guides the reader along the path of Vedanta terminology. Reflecting on these verses will uplift the mind and elevate the soul. A great guide for beginners and a meditation prop for advanced seekers.

Adult Study Group Attendees:  Open only to registered Balavihar families or Parivaar/Sevak members Time:  7:00 - 8:45 pm Fridays on Balavihar weekends   Kathopanishad is a unique Upanishad which starts with a katha (a story) of a young boy who is ready to face the Lord of Death in his quest for Truth to know what lies beyond death. He asks the very pertinent and philosophical question, ‘Is there or is there not, and if it is what is it?’In short, this teaching is an extravaganza of spiritual knowledge and meditation that guides a student step by step to the glorious state of immortality, peace and bliss. The format of our class will be to watch video of Guruj’s  discourses for about 30 minutes and continue our Satsangha reading out Gurudev’s Book on Kathopanishad followed by Q&A . The class will have active participation with a quest to prime our precious moments to unfold the mystery beyond Death.

Adult Study Group Attendees:  Open only to registered Balavihar families or Parivaar/Sevak members   Time:  7:00 - 8:45 pm Fridays on Balavihar weekends   The Vedanta 101 study group is targeted towards beginners in Vedanta and  introduces the foundations and glossary of our scriptures in a structured and systematic way.   The book Self Unfoldment written by Pujya Swami Chinmayananda is an extensive manual that elucidates the whole topic of Vedanta in simple layman’s language. The book is filled with simple examples which illustrate complex Vedantic concepts like BMI chart, Karma, Gunas, Pancha Kosha, meditation and many other topics.

Adult Study Group Attendees:  Open only to registered Balavihar families or Parivaar/Sevak members Time:  7:00 - 8:45 pm Fridays on Balavihar weekends   The Woman Seeker showcases 18 extraordinary women saints from different parts of Bharat. They walked different paths to realization- as householders, wandering ascetics and universal mothers serving as anchors to the communities they lived in. The text includes devotees that merged with God through ananya bhakti like Andal, Akka Mahadevi, Sant Janabai, Mirabai. It includes divine voices like Mukta Bai, Atukuri Molla, Padmapriya, Gangasati. There are renunciates like Lalla, Mata Rupa Bhavani, Sri Avudai Akkkal. There are Vedic Rishsikas like Vakdevi, Gargi, Maitreyi. The text features fearless universal mothers Devi Ahilyabai Holkar, Sarada Devi, Anandamayi Ma, and our Chinmaya Mission’s own Swamini Saradapriyananda. Their songs, poetry and journeys to enlightenment are sure to spark inspiration in the minds of those who read, study, discuss and internalize their sweet wisdom.

Adult Study Group Attendees:  Open only to registered Balavihar families or Parivaar/Sevak members   Time:  7:00 - 8:45 pm Fridays on Balavihar weekends   If the Upanishads are the text books of philosophical principles discussing man, world and God, the Bhagavad Gita is a handbook of instructions as to how every human being can come to live the subtle philosophical principlaes in the actual work-a-day world. Srimad Bhagavad Gita, the Divine song of the Lord, occurs in the Bhisma Parva of the Mahabharata. This great handbook of practical living marked a positive revolution in Hinduism and inaugurated a Hindu renaissance for the ages that followed the Puranic era. 

Adult Study Group Attendees:  Open only to registered Balavihar families or Parivaar/Sevak members Time:  7:00 - 8:45 pm Fridays on Balavihar weekends   Considered being the greatest Upanishad in the Vedic literature the Mundakopanishad with Karika examines life in its entirety. It analyzes and discusses the waking, dream and deep-sleep states of Consciousness and helps us to discover the Reality behind them all. 

Adult Study Group Attendees:  Open only to registered Balavihar families or Parivaar/Sevak members Time:  9:15 - 11:00 AM Sundays on Balavihar weekends   The group will learn simple bhajans that are melodious and easy to sing.  Prior musical experience not required.

Adult Study Group Attendees:  Open only to registered Balavihar families or Parivaar/Sevak members Time: 9:15 - 11:00 AM Sundays on Balavihar weekends   Vivekachoodamani is the cream of Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita. It re-educates the student, in a systematic way, to provide him with a new vision of life. The Goal and the Journey are both exhaustively dealt with in this elaborate tratement of Vedanta by Acharya Shankara. To one, who is making a deep study of this book, no other help is needed for leading him to a spiritual life and getting him to his self improvement.

Adult Study Group Attendees:  Open only to registered Balavihar families or Parivaar/Sevak members Time:  9:15 - 11:00 AM Sundays on Balavihar weekends   Chanting of all verses in the 18 Chapters of the Bhagavad Gita will be taught with correct pronunciation and intonation.

Adult Study Group Attendees:  Open only to registered Balavihar families or Parivaar/Sevak members Time: 9:15 - 11:00 AM Sundays on Balavihar weekends   A preliminary text of Vedantic studies, Kindle Life lays a very good foundation for all advanced studies. Full of guidance for right living, the book inspires every reader to pursue true spirituality. The language here is simple, yet forceful. Avoiding Technical jargon, Pujya Gurudev initiates us into the essentials of a higher, value-based life. Organized into over thirty lessons or essays, the material here is ideal for a novice.   Upadesa Sara concisely introduces all four paths enshrined in our Hindu scriptures with Ramana Maharshi's unique way of explaining Vedanta.

Adult Study Group Attendees:  Open only to registered Balavihar families or Parivaar/Sevak members Time: 9:15 - 11:00 AM Sundays on Balavihar weekends   If the Upanishads are the text books of philosophical principles discussing man, world and God, the Bhagavad Gita is a handbook of instructions as to how every human being can come to live the subtle philosophical principles in the actual work-a-day world. Srimad Bhagavad Gita, the Divine song of the Lord, occurs in the Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata. This great handbook of practical living marked a positive revolution in Hinduism and inaugurated a Hindu renaissance for the ages that followed the Puranic era.

Adult Study Group Attendees:  Open only to registered Balavihar families or Parivaar/Sevak members Time:  11:15 AM - 12:30 PM Sundays on Balavihar weekends   Discussions in Marathi based on Dasbodha (Advice to the Disciple) by Samarth Ramdas Swami and Amrutanubhava by Saint Dnyaneshwar.  Dasabodha is a comprehensive volume in verse form providing instructions on the religious life, presented in the format of a conversation between a Guru and disciple. The narration is believed to have taken place in a cave called Shivatharghal in the Raigad district of Maharashtra.   Contained within the chapters of Dasbodh, Ramdas Swami outlines the path of liberation through Devotion and Knowledge. Through knowledge, Ramdas Swami clears away all doubts and gives the understanding of one's "True Self." Ramdas Swami also reveals the true meaning and significance of "Discrimination" and "Detachment."  The text also deals with diverse aspects of human life such as politics, conducting business dealings and taking care of one's body and family life. 

Adult Study Group Attendees:  Open only to registered Balavihar families or Parivaar/Sevak members Time: 12:45 - 2:30 PM Sundays on Balavihar weekends   The Vedanta 101 study group is targeted towards beginners in Vedanta and introduces the foundations and glossary of our scriptures in a structured and systematic way.   The book Self Unfoldment written by Pujya Swami Chinmayananda is an extensive manual that elucidates the whole topic of Vedanta in simple layman’s language. The book is filled with simple examples which illustrate complex Vedantic concepts like BMI chart, Karma, Gunas, Pancha Kosha, meditation and many other topics. Every chapter ends with with a set of questions and references for further reading from the Holy Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads and other Vedantic texts. The greatness of this book lies in the fact that it does not only discuss Vedantic philosophies academically but also provides real life examples of how this philosophy can be applied in real life by the aspirant to gain the ultimate happiness which is within us. Anyone who reads and absorbs the contents of this book gets a very firm footing on the spiritual path and his/her doubts vanish due to the simple handling of topics.

Adult Study Group Attendees:  Open only to registered Balavihar families or Parivaar/Sevak members Time: 12:45 - 2:30 PM Sundays on Balavihar weekends   If the Upanishads are the text books of philosophical principles discussing man, world and God, the Bhagavad Gita is a handbook of instructions as to how every human being can come to live the subtle philosophical principlaes in the actual work-a-day world. Srimad Bhagavad Gita, the Divine song of the Lord, occurs in the Bhisma Parva of the Mahabharata. This great handbook of practical living marked a positive revolution in Hinduism and inaugurated a Hindu renaissance for the ages that followed the Puranic era. 

Adult Study Group Attendees:  Open only to registered Balavihar families or Parivaar/Sevak members Time: 12:45 - 2:30 PM Sundays on Balavihar weekends   Kena Upanishad also humorously called ‘What-O-Upanishad’ by Swami Chinmayananda is one of the most important among the many Upanishads. Kena means ‘by whom’ and true to its name this Upanishad digs deep into the question of who or what is the enlivening force that makes us think and do things. It starts off by asking ‘willed by whom does the mind land upon objects’? An innocent but deep question indeed. The Upanishad then develops on this thought into profound depths which takes one into the core of Vedantic teachings.

Adult Study Group Attendees:  Open only to registered Balavihar families or Parivaar/Sevak members Time:  1:00 - 2:45 PM Sundays on Balavihar weekends   Chanting of all verses in the 18 Chapters of the Bhagavad Gita will be taught with correct pronunciation and intonation.

The TA program is aimed at eligible children in the 12th grade. TA’s will: - Co-teach a class with another teacher - Need to keep a minimum of 70% attendance in the Bala Vihar year - Engage children in the curriculum  - Share stories and experiences that will resonate with the students - Assist the classroom teacher in any activities or curriculum development