Vedic Cosmology Conference:
Historical Perspectives and Current Research

November 17–19, 2023
Gainesville, Florida
In person (preferred) with a ZOOM option

“At the foundation of every civilization lies its view of the universe. All of the variegated manifestations of art and culture find their ultimate source and inspiration in how people see themselves in relation to the cosmos.”

Vedic Planetarium and Science Museum brochure (1994) Bhaktivedanta Institute San Diego

The Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies (BIHS) will host a new conference, “Vedic Cosmology: Historical Perspectives and Current Research,” on November 11–13, 2023. This event is a natural outgrowth of three prior BIHS cosmology workshops – “Puranic Cosmography: Taking the 5th…Canto!” (2019), “Models and Memes and Maps: A Modern Journey through Ancient Cosmography” (2020), and “The Nature of Spacetime and the Evolving Universe: Exploring Puranic Cosmology” (2022). These workshops examined traditional and contemporary studies of cosmological issues located in Sanskrit texts such as the Puranas (notably Srimad-Bhagavatam), the Jyotisa Sastras, and the Mahabharata. They have also inspired publications that feature recent work by ISKCON scholars, such as Purva-paksa: A Journal of the Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies, Volume 1, and Vedic Cosmography in a Modern Context: Virodha-parihara Revisited. The November conference will invite established scholars from around the world to discuss academic analyses in discourse with internal cultural appreciations.

Call for Abstracts

Submission deadline: July 31, 2023

Cosmology 23 Call for Abstracts

Goals

This conference seeks to pursue two goals: First, to fine-tune topics considered in previous workshops and expand research to include additional concerns. These seminars examined correlations between the esoteric cosmology described in the Puranas with both current and traditional conceptions of: 

  • The nature of spacetime: the origin and fate of the universe
  • Contemporary cyclic universe scenarios
  • Gravity: the mysterious attraction between all things
  • Planetary motion and distances of celestial objects
  • Geological time periods
  • Jyotisa accounts of the cosmos
  • Epistemology of Sankhya. 

The second aim is to invite further discussion concerning the following themes:

History and philosophy of cosmology as it bears on the Puranic universe

  • Epistemology and ontology of physical cosmology
  • Cosmogenesis and the role of consciousness
  • The historical tradition within contemporary discourse
  • Comparative investigations into cyclic universe models of modern cosmology and the Puranas

Puranic and Siddhantic cosmology

  • Models for the universe described in traditional Sanskrit literature
  • What is the brahmanda?
  • Exploration of specific Puranic metaphors, such as the sun-god’s chariot wheel and Bhu-mandala as a cosmic section

Archeoastronomy and chronology

  • Antediluvian civilization
  • Megalithic structures as astronomical observatories and sacrificial arenas
  • Cross cultural themes in cosmology

Understanding science in sastra: epistemology and hermeneutics

  • Faith–science debate / Sastra–science debate
  • Determining later additions to Sanskit texts through language analysis

Registration

For in-person or remote registration click here

Contact us

Please direct all inquiries to info@bihstudies.org