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Krishna's Song A New Look at the Bhagavad Gita

Steven J. Rosen

Book Code: C34553

ISBN: 0-313-34553-8

ISBN-13: 978-0-313-34553-1

DOI:

192 pages

Praeger Publishers

Publication: 9/30/2007

List Price: $49.95 (UK Sterling Price: £27.95)

Availability: In Stock

Media Type: Hardcover

Also Available: Ebook

Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

Subjects:

Reviews:

This contemporary discussion of the Bhagavad Gita provides readers of India's most important sacred text with radical approaches to traditional issues. Independent scholar Rosen's intent is to "culturally translate" the text, which he came to know through Swami Prabhupada's Gita, in ways understandable to a Western audience. He uses giants like Plato to raise the issue of social classification, Jesus (and his cursing of the fig tree) to engage an arboreal metaphor of the self, Oppenheimer to open out the vision of Krishna, Dante to introduce ideas about journeys/epic poetry, Bhisma to engage the question of vegetarianism, and Kierkegaard (and his three stages of human existence) to talk about the three gunas. He turns to golf and Bagger Vance to investigate freedom and human life (the golf ball), and George Lucas and Star Wars to ground the discussion of heroic myth and yogic exertion. The story is well told, often with easy colloquial language. Rosen lays out clearly the main themes of adherence to caste, coupled with yogic devotion to Krsna; and he helpfully elucidates Vaisnava commentaries on the text, and philosophical systems--particularly Advaita Vedanta. Though at times seemingly irreverent, this serious orientation to interpreting the Gita will be immensely helpful in the classroom. Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers.
—Choice May 2008
This book is a compilation of short essays that the author has produced over the years on the topic of Bhagavad Gita, which is arguably the most important and certainly the most influential Hindu religious work. Since these writings were developed for use in an informal setting, they are easy for any layperson to understand and often attempt to make the Gita accessible by drawing parallels to popular culture and western thinking....This book is a valuable and enjoyable addition to the wealth of commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita, and will be of equal interest to both the scholar and the interested layperson.
—Catholic Library World June 2008

Endorsement From Joshua M. Greene,
Religion Dept., Hofstra University
Author, Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison: Krishna's Song adds an articulate practitioner's voice to the growing chorus of Gita scholarship. The essays are accessible, insightful, and well researched--an important work for students and seekers alike. Highly recommended.
Endorsement From E.H. Jarow,
Associate Professor of Religion/Asian Studies, Vassar College: Krishna's Song artfully integrates both devotional and scholarly understandings of a timeless classic. By using contemporary motifs and the language of modernity, Rosen gives us a Bhagavad Gita that can contribute to contemporary discussions on right action, peace and war, and spiritual practice--a most welcome and timely offering.
Endorsement From Vasudha Narayanan,
Distinguished Professor, Dept. of Religion, University of Florida: Krishna's Song is a thoughtful and valuable contribution to the academic study of the Bhagavad Gita. It is unique in that it offers readers both a devotional understanding of the text as well as the best in modern scholarship. This is a book that will thus be useful in the classroom and among practitioners, too. In short, Steven Rosen is to be commended for making the Gita not only understandable but accessible as well.
Endorsement From Rev. Prem Anjali, Ph.D.
Senior Editor, Integral Yoga Publications,
Co-Director, Lotus Center for World Faiths Editor, Integral Yoga Magazine: Steven Rosen's new book, Krishna's Song, is like a garland of flowers, which beautifully encircles the many existing translations and commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita. It adds a certain richness of color, enhancing the Gita's internal brilliance and alluring fragrance. For this reason, Rosen's book will be a valuable addition to the study of the Bhagavad Gita, produced by one of the text's most well-informed contemporary advocates.
Endorsement From Shrivatsa Goswami,
Acharya, Sri Radharamana Mandir,
Director, Sri Caitanya Prema Samsthana: Krishna's Song will now be heard in the modern West. By using recognizable melodies and the rhythms of contemporary culture, Rosen manages to bring a traditional and venerable tune to a new world--without missing a beat. I highly recommend this book for those who love to dance to the sounds of the spirit.

Description: Rosen offers Westerners an easy-to-read introduction to a sacred text, demystifying its considerable philosophy in a user-friendly way. This is not yet another translation, merely reiterating what the Gita itself has to say. It is rather an attempt to "culturally translate" the text, making use of concepts and categories to which Western readers are accustomed. By engaging familiar motifs--such as issues of modernity, pop-culture icons, and well-known philosophers in the West--the author brings the Gita into focus for non-specialists and scholars alike. Through a series of contemporary news references and insightful summaries, readers will finally understand the facts and personalities that make up the Bhagavad Gita. Using his many years of Gita-centered research, Rosen unlocks the mysteries of the text's spiritual underpinnings. He provides an overview of the Gita's narrative and teachings alongside documentation of its traditional application and more modern ways in which the text can be understood. Subjects discussed include: * Violence in the Gita * The Gita and the Atom Bomb * Gita in the Workplace * The Goal of Yoga * The Soul: Who Am I? * Star Wars. Students and scholars alike will rejoice in how well this book lays bare the culture and the context of the Gita, resulting in a reader's deep familiarity with this most sacred of all the world's wisdom texts.

LC Card Number: 2007027871

LCC Class: BL1138

Dewey Class: 294

PDF Catalogs:
Praeger Religion Catalog 2008.pdf	Praeger Public Library Spring 2008.pdf


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