Born on 27 October 1950 in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, Shri Shrivatsa Goswami hails from an eminent family of Vaishnava scholars and artists of the Braj region. He holds a master’s degree in philosophy from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and has taught philosophy and religion at BHU. He has also been a Visiting Professor at Heidelberg University, Germany, and has been associated with various learned bodies including the Indian Council of Philosophical Research, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts and the Alliance for Religion and Conservation, based in U.K. At present, he is Director of the Sri Chaitanya Prema Samsthan at Vrindavan, an institute of Vaishnava philosophy and culture.

Shri Shrivatsa Goswami has made a notable contribution to the study of the traditional culture of the Braj region, which incorporates evolved forms of music and theatre in its modes of worship. His major works on this subject include: At Play with Krishna: Pilgrimage Drama from Brindavan (1981) and Theatre and Religion on Krishna’s stage: Performing in Vrindavan (2009), besides many papers. Among his books on contemporary religious practice are: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna: Five Distinguished Scholars on the Krishna Movements in the West (1983) and Seeing Krishna: The Religious World of a Brahmin Family in Vrindavan (2000). Outside of scholarly work, he has organized a number of festivals of the music and theatre of the Braj region, besides seminars and workshops on music, religion and philosophy.

For his contribution in the field of Braj studies, Shri Shrivatsa Goswami has been honored by several institutions. He is a recipient of the Kalabhushana (2007) conferred by the Dr B.R. Ambedkar University, Agra, and the Braj Vibhuti Samman (2011) awarded by the Braj Kala Kendra, Delhi.

Shri Shrivatsa Goswami received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contribution to scholarship.