Name: Krishna Das
Real Name:Jeffrey Kagel
Guru:
Neem Karoli Baba
Date of Birth: May 31, 1947
Place of Birth: Long Island, New York
Famous: Devotional singer who performs Indian chants called kirtans.
Krishna Das's Travel to India
Krishna Das traveled to India in the 1970s where, along with Ram Dass, he studied with famous Hindu guru named Neem Karoli Baba. Krishna Das has studied Buddhist meditation practices and is now devoted to singing and teaching. He has released several CDs, and he travels around the world giving performances and teaching, sometimes with Ram Dass.
Krishna Das is perhaps the best known American singer of Indian kirtan-style devotional music. Similar artists include Bhagavan Das, Jai Uttal, Wah, Deva Premal, and Snatam Kaur Khalsa.
Krishna Das’s Discography List
1996: One Track Heart
1998: Pilgrim Heart
2000: Live… on Earth
2001: Breath of the Heart
2001: Pilgrim of the Heart
2003: Door of Faith
2004: Greatest Hits of the Kali Yuga
2005: All One
2007: Gathering in the Light with Baird Hersey & Prana
2007: Flow of Grace: Chanting the Hanuman Chalisa
2008: Heart Full of Soul
2010: Heart as Wide as the World
2012: Live Ananda
2014: Kirtan Wallah
2015: Laughing at the Moon
2017: Trust in the Heart
2018: Peace of My Heart
While living in India for almost three years, Krishna Das was drawn to the practice of Bhakti Yoga and the practice of kirtan—chanting the Names of God. As an appointed pujari (priest) for the Durga temple in Maharaj-ji's ashram in the foothills of the Himalayas, Krishna Das immersed himself in the worship of the Divine Goddess.
Krishna Das spent as much time as possible with Maharaj-ji over the years in India. However, in early 1973, he was asked by Maharaj-ji to return to America.
In 2011 and 2012, a documentary was made about Krishna Das called One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das. He's been described by the New York Times as "the chant master of American yoga".