Customer Reviews

YOGA OF KIRTAN: Conversations On The Sacred Art Of Chanting (includes CD)

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Kirtan is a fabulous form of spiritual chanting from India that's caught on at yoga centers around the U.S., I'm happy to report. This book explains what kirtan is all about and includes interviews with many of the best kirtan performers like Vaiyasaki Das, Ragani and Dave Stringer. Best of all there's a CD with sample tracks from 11 kirtan singers. It's wonderful music!

Fascinating book. Kirtan is ancient but it's only been catching on with the mass public in the last 15 years or so. There was a need to not only explain it to modern Western audiences but also prove it's not just the latest trendy entertainment. The author puts it into that proper perspective, highlighting the history and philosophy, and asking his interviewees intelligent probing questions. It's everything you need to know, and then some.

I always wanted to know what these kirtaneers were thinking, but I could only guess at the internal melodies of their thoughts and feelings. Steven Rosen has brought not only their music to my ears, but their experiences. I can now relate much more personally to the intent of each individual, and the insights help me to go deeper into sacred realities myself. I am very grateful for the revelation of the persons behind the performances. This book helps people enter into the subtle intent of various types of kirtan.

Mr. Rosen's book is a wonderful history of kirtan, both ancient and recent, in the form of conversations with the musicians and illuminations by the author, whose personal experience of kirtan is considerable on its own. The fact that we are given insights into the personal journeys of so many contemporary kirtaniyas provides a broad depth of feeling that might otherwise have been missing if this book had been written strictly from either an objective position or a singular point of view. And since kirtan is all about the personal expression of our relationship to the Divine, Rosen's book serves as an inspiration for all of us to dive deeply into our own personal journey of kirtan.

Rosen's interviews with some of the most popular kirtan performers provide insight into the artists and their work, and the meaning behind the kirtan phenomenon. Steven Rosen's books never fail to illuminate, and this one is no exception. He is like a spiritual Studs Terkel, whose keen interest in the people he interviews and their viewpoints draws them out of themselves and always makes for enjoyable reading. I especially like the biographical format, in which we learn something of the life story of the artists and what steered them to kirtan. I also like that he included chanters from outside the Hindu tradition, like Yofiyah and Snatam Kaur. The CD alone is worth the price of the book. I especially like Dravida Das's stacatto chanting in "Namaste Sri Radhe", and Jai Uttal's innovative instrumentation in "Radharani Kijay."