Shrimad Bhagwat Katha 2026July 12 – 18, 2026Details
Shrimad Bhagwat Katha

For our Yajmans

Yajman Guide

॥ जय श्री कृष्ण ॥

Thank you for serving as a Yajman. This page keeps the practical details in one place: when to arrive, what to bring, what guidelines to follow, and who to call with questions.

Daily Pooja
5:15 PM
Arrive by 5:00 PM
Katha days
Jul 12 – 18, 2026
Kalash Yatra opens Jul 12
Havan
Sun · Jul 19
10 AM – 1 PM · Chestermere
Venue
Genesis Centre
NE Calgary

The seva

Why we serve as Yajmans

The seva is ours to carry

Yajmans take part in the daily puja, light the lamp, and sit with the Havan until it is complete.

We serve as a family

Couples and families participate together, remembering parents, elders, children, and the ancestors who brought us here.

We keep the doors open for everyone

The Katha stays free because families step forward to help carry the cost of the hall, puja, prasad, and bhandara.

The deeper reason

The inner discipline of Yajman seva

Being a Yajman is not only about sitting for the puja or helping carry the event. It is a sankalp: to come with a steadier mind, a softer heart, and a willingness to serve without ego.

The diet, timing, dress, silence, and punctuality are not separate rules. They help create the same inner practice Shri Krishna describes: abhyasa, steady effort, and vairagya, letting go of what disturbs the mind.

For these days, each Yajman family takes on that discipline together. We arrive prepared, sit with devotion, support the Katha, and carry its values back into our homes.

Arrive prepared

Respect the time, niyam, and shared space.

Sit with bhav

Let the puja become attention, not routine.

Serve together

Carry the seva as a family and community.

Gita reflection

Bhagavad Gita 6.35

असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम् ।
अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते ॥

“Without doubt the mind is restless and hard to master. Yet through practice and through detachment, it can be steadied.”

This is the spirit behind the Yajman niyam: repeated, humble practice that steadies the mind.

Where to be & when

Important dates & timings

On regular evenings, Yajmans arrive by 5:00 PM for the 5:15 PM Pooja — ahead of the public Katha. The opening and final days run differently, so please check your day below.

Opening day

Genesis Centre

Sunday · July 12

  • 2:00 – 2:30 PMYajmans arrive
  • 2:30 – 3:45 PMKalash Yatra
  • 3:45 – 4:30 PMBreak, rest & jalpan
  • 4:30 – 5:45 PMFirst-day Pooja
  • 5:55 – 6:05 PMKatha Vyas arrives & Aarti
  • 6:05 – 9:00 PMKatha
  • 9:00 – 9:15 PMAarti
  • 9:00 – 10:00 PMPrashad & food
  • 9:15 – 10:30 PMCleanup

Dress in yellow and bring a decorated Lota for the Kalash Yatra.

Daily schedule

Genesis Centre

Monday – Friday · July 13 – 17

  • 5:00 – 5:15 PMYajmans arrive
  • 5:15 – 5:55 PMPooja
  • 5:55 – 6:05 PMKatha Vyas arrives & Aarti
  • 6:05 – 9:00 PMKatha
  • 9:00 – 9:15 PMAarti
  • 9:00 – 10:00 PMPrashad & food
  • 9:15 – 10:30 PMCleanup

Final Katha day

Genesis Centre

Saturday · July 18

  • 5:00 – 5:15 PMYajmans arrive
  • 5:15 – 5:55 PMPooja
  • 5:55 – 6:05 PMKatha Vyas arrives & Aarti
  • 6:05 – 8:45 PMKatha
  • 8:45 – 9:15 PMAarti & final-day Pooja
  • 9:00 – 10:00 PMPrashad & food
  • 9:15 – 10:30 PMCleanup

Havan

Chestermere

Sunday · July 19

  • 10:00 AM – 1:00 PMHavan — all Yajmans must attend

Held in Chestermere, not at the Genesis Centre. Yajmans and volunteers may take part. Further details to be provided by July 10.

Come prepared

What to bring

All Pooja and Havan samagri (materials) are provided. Yajmans bring only a few personal items for the daily Pooja.

Sun · Jul 12 — Kalash Pooja
  • Dress in yellow clothes
  • A decorated Lota, labeled underneath with your name and phone number
  • A coconut (jata wala naariyal)

The Kalsh Pooja Arrangements team will provide mauli, tikka, and water for your Kalash on the day.

Daily Pooja · Jul 12 – 18
  • Steel thali
  • Steel glass
  • Steel bowl
  • 2 spoons
  • A few coins
Optional, if you wish
  • Flowers
  • A few cloves / cardamoms

For the Havan on July 19, the Pooja Arrangements team will share what to bring closer to the date.

Niyam & Sainyam

Participant guidelines

Yajmans are asked to follow these niyam during the Katha days.

Satvik diet

Follow a strictly vegetarian Satvik diet — no onion or garlic — from July 9 to July 22 (three days before and after the Katha).

Brahmacharya

Observe celibacy from July 11 to July 20 as part of the spiritual discipline.

Dress code

Wear clean, modest, traditional Indian attire. Yellow, red, green, orange, and white are highly recommended.

Punctuality

Arrive at least 15 minutes early, collect your Pooja Samagri, and be seated and ready to begin promptly at the start time shown for your day (5:15 PM on regular evenings).

Positive conduct

Set aside anger, jealousy, ego, gossip, and arguments. Keep a calm, respectful, and positive mind throughout.

Attendance

Please attend all the continuous sessions and remain present until each day's rituals are complete.

Personal hygiene

Bathe before attending the Pooja each day and maintain personal cleanliness.

Silence & phones

Maintain silence during the Pooja to preserve concentration, and switch mobile phones to silent before entering the hall.

Children

Please keep children seated with you, and ensure they do not run around the hall during the rituals.

Here to help

Your Yajman coordinators

For your registration, the daily schedule, or any question at all, please reach out to a coordinator. They can help with timing, registration, puja items, and day-of questions.

Krishna Verman

Shiv Sharma

Ramesh Verma

Saroj Varma

Teams supporting you

Pooja Arrangements

Provide the list of items to bring for the daily Pooja and for the Havan on July 19.

  • Saroj Kumar
  • Shallu Ram

Barni Preparation

Prepare one Barni per Yajman family ahead of the Katha.

  • Monika Narula
  • Anshu Singla

Ready to participate?

Register as a Yajman and a coordinator will be in touch with everything you need. For details on dakshina and the wider event, see the main Katha page.

॥ जय जय श्री राधा कृष्ण ॥

Questions?

Reach out to the organizers

Venue

Genesis Centre

7555 Falconridge Blvd NE, Calgary, AB

Get directions

Seva

Help keep HSNA programs open to everyone.

Donations and volunteer time help cover halls, meals, puja materials, and the work behind each event.