__NOTOC__ Shrivatsa Goswami (born 27 October 1950) is an Indian

Indologist Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies. The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') is of ...

scholar as well as

Gaudiya Vaishnava Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnava Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region of Bengal, with Vaishnavism mea ...

religious leader. Entrance Radha Raman Temple, Vrindavan

He was born in the holy Vaishnava pilgrimage site of

Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance in Hinduism as Krishna spent most of his childhoo ...

, into a

brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...

family whose members were caretakers of

Radha Raman Temple Sri Radha Raman Temple, is a Hindu temple situated in Vrindavan, India. It is dedicated to Krishna who is worshiped as Radha Ramana. This temple is counted as one of the Seven most revered ancient temples of Vrindavan along with Radha Valla ...

for more than four centuries, one of the most famous Vrindavan temples, founded by Chaitanya's associate, the saint

Gopala Bhatta Goswami Gopala Bhatta Goswami (1503–1578) is one of the foremost disciples of the Vaishnava saint, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and a leading historical figure in the Gaudiya Vaishnava school of Hinduism. He was part of a group of Vaishnava devotees know ...

. Shrivatsa Goswami's father, Purushottam Goswami, was the temple leading priest. In accordance with the family tradition, Shrivatsa Goswami became the

acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a ti ...

of Radha Raman temple. In 1972, he founded a scientific and cultural organization, the "Sri Caitanya Prema Samsthana", to the propagation of traditional Vaishnavism, patronised the arts (

Raslila The rasalila (), also rendered the raslila or the ras dance, is part of the traditional story of Krishna described in Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavata Purana and literature such as the Gita Govinda, where he dances with Radha and the gopi ...

dance and other) and scholarship on Vaishnavism, aspecially in Vrindavan. Shrivatsa Goswami is a graduate in philosophy of the

Banares Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU) IAST: kāśī hindū viśvavidyālaya IPA: /kaːʃiː hɪnd̪uː ʋɪʃwəʋid̪jaːləj/), is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916 ...

, where he later has taught philosophy and religion. In the mid-1970s he was a visiting scholar at the

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, go ...

Center for the Study of World Religions Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, gov ...

. Shrivatsa Goswami has been associated with the

Indian Council of Philosophical Research Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR) was established in March 1977 under Department of Higher Education and Ministry of Human Resource Development as an Apex Level Body under the societies registration Act 1860. However, the council for ...

(a member of the board of editors of the ''Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophers'') and the

Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the NCT Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all t ...

(that is a sponsor for his Vraja Research Project). His scholarly publications in India and the West focus on Vaishnavite philosophy and theology, as well as theater and other aspects of the religious culture of the

Braj Braj, also known as Vraj, Vraja, Brij or Brijbhoomi, is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura- Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal and Ballabhgarh in Har ...

region. In addition, Shrivatsa Goswami works in the field of interfaith cooperation. Thus, he is the honorary president of

Religions for Peace Religions for Peace is an international coalition of representatives from the world's religions dedicated to promoting peace founded in 1970. The International Secretariat headquarters is in New York City, with regional conferences in Europe, A ...

. And

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

invited him to represent Hinduism at the 25th anniversary of the

World Day of Prayer The World Day of Prayer is an international ecumenical Christian laywomen's initiative. It is run under the motto “Informed Prayer and Prayerful Action,” and is celebrated annually in over 170 countries on the first Friday in March. The moveme ...

at Assisi in October 2011.

Selected works

;Books * * ;Contributions * * * * * ; Co-editor *

References

External links

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About the Sri Caitanya Prema Samsthana
Archived from Gambhira.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Shrivatsa Goswami Living people 1950 births 20th-century Hindu philosophers and theologians 21st-century Hindu philosophers and theologians 20th-century Hindu religious leaders 21st-century Hindu religious leaders Acharyas Devotees of Krishna Gaudiya religious leaders Hindu studies scholars Indian Indologists Indian theologians Indian Hindu religious leaders Indian Vaishnavites Kirtan performers People in interfaith dialogue Scholars from Uttar Pradesh Banaras Hindu University alumni Banaras Hindu University faculty People from Mathura district Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award

Selected works

References

Further reading

External links