In preparation for writing his book, Diet for Transcendence, Steven Rosen surveyed the world’s religions with the intention of proving that at their foundation—and as reflected in their scriptures—these faiths encouraged vegetarianism, nonviolence, love and compassion...
Kirtan and the World’s Sacred Chant Traditions
If we look into creation narratives from different cultures, in almost every case the world is said to come into being through sound, through chant. Kirtan is the essence of Yoga, for by chanting the holy names, we experience a linking, a union, with the Divine. In...
What Does “OM” Really Mean?
To truly comprehend the depth and profundity of “OM,” we have to go back to the ancient Indic texts known as the Vedic literature, to the seed-mantra, Omkara. But before this, it might be worthwhile to know that OM is not a sectarian sound, nor is it peculiar to Hindu...
The Yoga of Kirtan
Steven J. Rosen’s book, The Yoga of Kirtan, offers interviews with 21 musicians—including Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, Deva Premal, Snatam Kaur, David Newman, Ragani—leading the kirtan revolution. The book focuses not only on kirtan but on the lives of those being...
What Does the Bhagavad Gita Really Have to Offer?
The Bhagavad-gita is not just another religious text; nor is it merely a Hindu scripture. Rather, it provides “applied spiritual technologies,” or systematic procedures by which anyone, of any religious faith, can advance toward the ultimate goal of life. In other...