Satyaraja Dasa
Encyclopedia
Steven J. Rosen, also known as Satyaraja Dasa (born 1955), is an American
author. He is the founding editor of The Journal of Vaishnava Studies
and an associate editor of Back to Godhead
, the magazine
of the Hare Krishna Movement. He authored more than 20 books on Vaishnavism
and related subjects. including Black Lotus: The Spiritual Journey of an Urban Mystic (2007), which is the life story of Bhakti Tirtha Swami
.
Steven J. Rosen has a strong view on vegetarianism
and has written Diet for Transcendence: Vegetarianism and the World Religions (1997, previously published as Food for the Spirit) and Holy Cow: The Hare Krishna Contribution to Vegetarianism and Animal Rights (2004). In the former volume, he systematically explains the practice of vegetarianism in various religious traditions, such as Christianity
, Islam
, Buddhism
, Hinduism
and Judaism
, with special attention to the philosophical schools of India. In the latter, citing the devotee-scholar Bhaktivinoda Thakur
(1838–1914) and the Hindu savant Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927–2001), he looks at early Vedic tradition, animal sacrifices, and the innovative contributions of the Hare Krishna movement.
Several years ago he was called upon by Greenwood Press, a major academic publisher, to write the Hinduism
volume for their Introduction to the World's Major Religions series. Greenwood later commissioned him to write Essential Hinduism, a more comprehensive treatment of the same subject, under the auspices of their parent company (Praeger). Graham Schweig
, for example, considers Essential Hinduism significant for its "analysis of Vishnu in the four original Vedas" and writes that the book reveals "perhaps for the first time in a readable, accessible volume, why Vishnu’s place is important in Hinduism as a whole, as [Rosen] connects Vaishnavism with the early Vedic tradition."
In his 2008 book/CD package called The Yoga of Kirtan: Conversations on the Sacred Art of Chanting, Rosen interviews 21 kirtan
masters from around the world and offers new essays on call-and-response singing as a form of yogic spirituality. His books have appeared in several languages, including Spanish
, German
, Hungarian
, Czech
, Swedish
, Chinese
, and Russian
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author. He is the founding editor of The Journal of Vaishnava Studies
The Journal of Vaishnava Studies
The Journal of Vaishnava Studies is an academic journal that was founded in 1992 by Steven J. Rosen , a member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. It is dedicated to scholarly research associated with Vishnu-related traditions. In 2002, the journal affiliated with Christopher...
and an associate editor of Back to Godhead
Back to Godhead
Back to Godhead, also known as BTG, is the main magazine of the Hare Krishna Movement. It was originally published by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and later by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami and Jayadvaita Swami.-External links:**...
, the magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
of the Hare Krishna Movement. He authored more than 20 books on Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....
and related subjects. including Black Lotus: The Spiritual Journey of an Urban Mystic (2007), which is the life story of Bhakti Tirtha Swami
Bhakti Tirtha Swami
Bhakti Tirtha Swami , also known as Swami Krishnapada, was a leading guru and governing body commissioner of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness . He was the highest-ranking African American in ISKCON...
.
Steven J. Rosen has a strong view on vegetarianism
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...
and has written Diet for Transcendence: Vegetarianism and the World Religions (1997, previously published as Food for the Spirit) and Holy Cow: The Hare Krishna Contribution to Vegetarianism and Animal Rights (2004). In the former volume, he systematically explains the practice of vegetarianism in various religious traditions, such as Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, with special attention to the philosophical schools of India. In the latter, citing the devotee-scholar Bhaktivinoda Thakur
Bhaktivinoda Thakur
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur , a prominent figure among the Gaudiya Vaishnavas of Bengal, was born Kedarnath Datta in the town of Birnagar, Bengal, India. He was the son of Raja Krsnananda Datta and Jagat Mohini Devi...
(1838–1914) and the Hindu savant Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927–2001), he looks at early Vedic tradition, animal sacrifices, and the innovative contributions of the Hare Krishna movement.
Several years ago he was called upon by Greenwood Press, a major academic publisher, to write the Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
volume for their Introduction to the World's Major Religions series. Greenwood later commissioned him to write Essential Hinduism, a more comprehensive treatment of the same subject, under the auspices of their parent company (Praeger). Graham Schweig
Graham Schweig
Graham M. Schweig is Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Asian Studies program at Christopher Newport University. He is a regularly invited lecturer at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC., and was Visiting Associate Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Virginia...
, for example, considers Essential Hinduism significant for its "analysis of Vishnu in the four original Vedas" and writes that the book reveals "perhaps for the first time in a readable, accessible volume, why Vishnu’s place is important in Hinduism as a whole, as [Rosen] connects Vaishnavism with the early Vedic tradition."
In his 2008 book/CD package called The Yoga of Kirtan: Conversations on the Sacred Art of Chanting, Rosen interviews 21 kirtan
Kirtan
Kirtan or Kirtana is call-and-response chanting or "responsory" performed in India's devotional traditions. A person performing kirtan is known as a kirtankar. Kirtan practice involves chanting hymns or mantras to the accompaniment of instruments such as the harmonium, tablas, the two-headed...
masters from around the world and offers new essays on call-and-response singing as a form of yogic spirituality. His books have appeared in several languages, including Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
, Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
, Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
.