Additional Resources | richardlthompson.com

Additional presentations and papers offers recent work by a number of scholars associated with the Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies (BIHS) exploring Purāṇic and jyotiṣa cosmological accounts, and their interrelationship.

1) Toward a Comprehensive Picture of the Nature of Spacetime and the Origin and Fate of the Universe by Doug Watson

Abstract:

The Big Bang inflationary model was introduced to solve some of the long-standing problems associated with the original Big Bang theory of the early 1900s; however, the popular inflationary model is fraught with its own set of empirical (and philosophical) problems. Recent theoretical work has aimed to demonstrate how the inflationary paradigm may be resolved with particular kinds of models that may be compatible with Vedic perspectives of a cyclic universe and their teleological implications.

Publication Info: Pūrva-pakṣa: Fine Tuning Opposing Views, Vol. 1, (Alachua, FL: RLTA, 2024), 1–8.

Notes: Based on a presentation given at the BIHS Cosmology Workshop 3: “The Nature of Spacetime and the Evolving Universe: Exploring Puranic Cosmology,” February 19–20, 2022 in Gainesville, Florida.

Doug Watson has a PhD in Physics from Vanderbilt University, where his research focused on a theoretical framework for the formation and evolution of galaxies in the universe. Doug was a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago, an award that supported independent research in cutting-edge theoretical physics, as well as education initiatives for underserved communities. During his undergraduate years at the University of Wisconsin, he was a member of the men’s soccer team, which won both the NCAA and Big Ten Championships.

2) A Proportionality Approach to the Relevance of “Height” in the Puranic Cosmos by Vasyl Semenov and Evgeniya Semenova

Abstract:

This presentation explores several simple mathematical transformations that highlight possible connections between Purāṇic and Siddhāntic cosmologies, thus suggesting that the ancient Purāṇas may indeed contain relevant information about our perceivable universe.

Publication Info: Pūrva-pakṣa: Fine Tuning Opposing Views, Vol. 1, (Alachua, FL: RLTA, 2024), 21–37.

Notes: Based on a presentation given at the BIHS Cosmology Workshop 2: “Models and Memes and Maps: A Modern Journey through Ancient Cosmography,” November 21–22, 2020 in Gainesville, Florida.

Vasyl Semenov obtained his PhD degree in Acoustics from the Institute of Hydromechanics at the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences (2004) and a second PhD in Computational Mathematics from the Institute of Cybernetics at NAS in 2020. Vasyl holds the positions of Senior staff scientist at Kyiv Academic University and Professor at the American University Kyiv. He has been teaching Vedic Mathematics and other courses at the Kyiv Krishna Consciousness Academy since 2013, and has served as a member of the Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies since 2019.

Evgeniya Semenova obtained her PhD degree in Mathematics from the Institute of Mathematics at NAS in 2009, where she has been working at the Computational Mathematics Department since 2004. She received scholarships from the Institutes of Mathematics at Linz (Austria) and Lubeck (Germany) and took part in the EU AMMODIT program. Since 2016, she has been teaching the ISKCON Disciple Course at the Kiev Krishna Consciousness Academy.

3) Fifth Canto Cosmology as a Vision of the Virāṭ-rūpa by Michael Cremo

Abstract:

The cosmology chapters of the Fifth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are a description of a universal form. In some places in the Bhāgavatam, the universal form is characterized as imaginary. This creates a difficulty in detecting correspondences between modern astronomy and cosmographic depiction of the universe given in the Bhāgavatam. The problem is solved if we understand there are three kinds of universal forms: those that are directly perceived, those that are authoritatively described, and those that are imagined. The Fifth Canto account is an authoritative description, and therefore the astronomical details should not be taken as imaginative.

Publication Info: Pūrva-pakṣa: Fine Tuning Opposing Views, Vol. 1, (Alachua, FL: RLTA, 2024), 57–63.

Notes: Based on a presentation at the BIHS Workshop 1: “Taking the Fifth Canto,” November 1-3, 2019 in Gainesville, Florida.

Michael Cremo has been involved with the Bhaktivedanta Institute since 1984 and the TOVP for some time. He is the co-author, along with Richard L. Thompson, of Forbidden Archeology (1993), and has authored many books since then, including the recent collection, My Science, My Religion: Academic Papers (1994-2009). He has given invited talks at Royal Institution in London, the Russian Academy of Science in Moscow, and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.

4) Time in Vedic Culture as Presented in the Teachings of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda by Christopher J. Hayton

Abstract:

The exotic lifestyle, beliefs, and practices of the Hare Krishna devotees primarily generated interest from anthropology-related fields. This paper focuses on one area of Vedic culture, "time," that so far has received relatively little attention. Using translations and commentaries published by Bhaktivedanta Swami during the 1960s and 70s as primary source material, details of the Vedic system of time presented through the Gaudiya Vaishnava line are described. Ancient Sanskrit texts: Bhagavad-gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, Sri Isopanishad, and Brahma Samhita, and the medieval Bengali text, Caitanya-caritamrta, are examined, revealing frameworks for contemplation on a cosmic scale. Expressed in culture-specific imagery seemingly at odds with Western science, the Vedic sages reach across time to reveal that ancients grappled with questions familiar to present day thinkers.

Publication Info: Pūrva-pakṣa: Fine Tuning Opposing Views, Vol. 2, (Alachua, FL: RLTA, 2024), 57–63.

Notes: Based on a presentation at the BIHS Vedic Cosmology Workshop III: “The Nature of Spacetime and the Evolving Universe: Exploring Puranic Cosmology,” February 19–20, 2022 in Gainesville, Florida.

Christopher Hayton holds a BSc in Zoology from Cardiff University, and a MA and PhD in Social Work from Florida State University. He presently serves as a research associate for the Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies, as well as a production manager for GN Press. He has taught at Florida State University, and has also worked as a clinical social worker in community mental health, and in the field of archeology.

5) The 2019–22 BIHS Workshops on Vedic Cosmology by Prishni Sutton

Abstract:

The international BIHS 2023 conference, “Cosmology of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa: Current Research on History, Philosophy, and Science,” was a natural outgrowth of three prior Vedic cosmology workshops – “Purāṇic 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 Purāṇic Cosmology” (2022). These workshops examined traditional and contemporary studies of cosmological issues in relation to Sanskrit texts such as the Purāṇas (notably Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam), the Jyotiṣa Śāstras, and the Mahābhārata. They also inspired publications that feature the recent work of scholars associated with these projects, including the journal Pūrva-pakṣa: Fine-Tuning Opposing Views (Volumes 1 and 2) and Vedic Cosmography in a Modern Context: Virodha-parihāra Revisited. This article gives a brief overview of these workshops.

Publication Info: ISKCON Communications Journal, Vol. 14, edited by Tattvavit Dāsa and Rūpa Sanātana Dāsa (ISKCON Communications Europe, 2023), 129–39.

Prishni Sutton graduated with a double-major in Mathematics and Chemistry in 1971 from the University of Illinois, and became involved with ISKCON shortly thereafter. Since 2014 she has been the archivist for the Richard L. Thompson Archives, and she has been the Secretary/Treasurer for Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies since its formation in 2015.

6) Is There Really “Only One Sun”? by Richard J. Cole

Abstract:

Preliminary research explores several “unique” features of our sun as support for Śrīla Prabhupāda’s numerous statements concerning “only one sun” in the universe, such as “within this universe there is only one sun.” This brief report analyzes scientific data, śāstric perspectives, redshift research, the special conditions of the “Goldilocks” zone, and the poetic use of metaphor, which combine to suggest that the many singular characteristics of our sun give credence to it's Vedic designation as the only sun in the universe.

Publication Info: Posted on the ISKCON News website on May 26, 2024.

Richard Cole (Radha Mohan Das) graduated from Manchester University in 1992, and is currently the Communications Officer at Bhaktivedanta Manor near London, where he specializes in media, public relations, interfaith, and drama. He also produces a popular YouTube channel, Vedic Science and History, and has been an associate of the Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies since 2019.

7) Purāṇic and Jyotiṣa Accounts of the Earth: The Tradition Considers Itself by S. E. Kreitzer

Abstract:

This presentation will offer an introductory exploration of the long conversation held amongst advocates of various Puranic and Jyotisha views of the cosmos, all which took place within a cultural tradition that identified with Vedic literature. It will specifically focus on discussions of the earth as a spherical object. Insights into the lives on some of the personalities involved, many well known in the world history of mathematics and astronomy, will be considered. In addition, it will present a glimpse of the professional scholarship that currently engages this topic. Many aspects of present day concern expressed within ISKCON involving apparent discrepancies between esoteric and exoteric accounts, have proven a dynamic element of this ancient legacy.

Publication Info: Pūrva-pakṣa: Fine Tuning Opposing Views, Vol. 1, (Alachua, FL: RLTA, 2023), 91–113.

Notes: Based on a presentation given at the BIHS Vedic Cosmology Workshop II: “Models and Memes and Maps: A Modern Journey through Ancient Cosmography,” November 21–22, 2020 in Gainesville, Florida.

S. E. Kreitzer (Sthita-dhi-muni) assisted Richard Thompson (Sadaputa), a founding member of the Bhaktivedanta Institute, after moving to Florida in the 1990s. While pursuing graduate studies at the University of Florida in History of Science (PhD 2013), he established the Richard L. Thompson Archives with Bob Cohen and others to facilitate access to Thompson’s work. He teaches American History and History of Science at Santa Fe College and the University of Florida.

8) Modern Cosmological Evidence for an Egg-Shaped Universe by Bhupal Dev

Abstract:

Our understanding of the universe in modern cosmology is highly influenced by the discovery of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) in 1964. Since then, the CMB angular power spectrum measurements by a number of ground-based and satellite missions confirm the standard Big Bang model of the Universe (known as the ΛCDM model). However, since the first COBE satellite mission, some anomalous features in CMB anisotropies were observed, which could not be explained by the ΛCDM model. We will discuss an intriguing possibility to solve these anomalies, namely, that of an ellipsoidal universe with a small but nonzero eccentricity (as opposed to a perfectly spherical universe with zero eccentricity) at the time of CMB decoupling. It is interesting to note that this emerging cosmological evidence for an ellipsoidal universe is consistent with the Vedic description of the egg-shaped universe(s), as stated, for instance, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.26.52 and in Brahma-saṁhitā 5.35.

Publication Info: Pūrva-pakṣa: Fine Tuning Opposing Views, Vol. 2, (Alachua, FL: RLTA, 2024), 1–18.

Bhupal Dev has a PhD in Particle Physics from the University of Maryland and did postdoctoral work in the UK and Germany before joining the faculty of Washington University. His research specialization is "Beyond the Standard Model of Particle Physics and Cosmology." He has published over 100 peer-reviewed international journal papers on related topics and is currently working on the anomalies in the Cosmic Microwave Background and their implications for the evolution of the Universe.

9) Advanced Astronomy in Bhāgavata Purāṇa by Tiziano Valentinuzzi

Abstract:

I will present a paper published by my former professor, Roberto Caimmi, that was published in 2018. Many Western, scholars think that the Purāṇas promote a flat model idea of the earth. But by applying new research concerning the Vastu Purusha Mandala and the Titius-Bode Law to the ring features of Bhū-maṇḍala as described in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa Fifth Canto, interesting correlations emerge that suggest the Purāṇic astronomers may have well understood how planets are revolving around the sun. And along with this advanced scientific knowledge we see that ancient cultures would connect all human experience to the divine as means to achieve happiness in this life and in the next. Perhaps we should reintroduce this perspective into modern cosmology by considering the spiritual dimension of man as central, and in this way bring meaning and purpose back into human life.

Publication Info: Pūrva-pakṣa: Fine Tuning Opposing Views, Vol. 2, (Alachua, FL: RLTA, 2024), 83–93.

Notes: Based on a presentation at the Puranic and Siddhantic Cosmology Conference, November 4–6, 2022 in Mumbai, India.

Tiziano Valentinuzzi (Giridhari) earned his PhD Astronomy at the University of Padua. He has studied galaxy evolution and black matter halos, with a special focus of Super Dense Massive Galaxies in the near universe and dark matter density profiles in nearby and deep universe galaxies. He has also studied the Vedic tradition for almost 30 years, with a special interest in Vastu, Vedic science, and Bhakti yoga. His research interests at the Bhaktivedanta Institute include cosmology and astronomy in ancient Vedic texts.

10) Marut: The Winds in the Cosmos by Vaibhav Tiwari

Abstract:

Various astronomical observations suggest the existence of dark matter; a state of matter that interacts only through gravity and remains undetectable. Various possibilities, such as WIMPS, MACHOS, etc, have been proposed as the candidate for dark matter. In my talk, I speculate that the pravāha winds may be an explanation for the astronomical observations. I also discuss the possibility of testing this proposal using gravitational wave astronomy.

Publication Info: Pūrva-pakṣa: Fine Tuning Opposing Views, Vol. 1, (Alachua, FL: RLTA, 2023), 91–113.

Vaibhav Tiwari (Vaishnav): After completing his undergraduate work in Aerospace Engineering from IIT Kharagpur, Vaibhav completed a Master's in Physics at the University of South Carolina, followed by a PhD at the University of Florida. He is currently a Research Associate at the Gravity Exploration Institute, Cardiff University, in Wales.

11) Historical Perspectives on Cosmological Complexities by Jonathan Edelmann

Abstract:

How are the borders between science and religion drawn in history? Looking at different models to answer this question like “conflict”, “independence” and “confirmation” in Western and Eastern contexts, I argue for the perspective of “complexity” and a “spirit of discovery” as historical and hermeneutical approaches. I reconstruct three cosmological features in the Bhāgavatam (i.e. the cosmic body, cosmogony, and cosmography), looking at what the verses say is the goal of the presentations of the natural world. In addition, I argue that Viśvanātha Cakravartī’s use of Indian poetics and linguistics to explain the Bhāgavatam offers a tool for the further development of cosmological research rooted in the Bhāgavatam.

Publication Info: Pūrva-pakṣa: Fine Tuning Opposing Views, Vol. 2, (Alachua, FL: RLTA, 2024), 19–27.

Jonathan Edelmann (Janakirama) holds a PhD (Religious Studies and Theology) from Oxford University and has written about scientific studies of reincarnation, the theory of karma and saṁsāra, the doctrine of bhakti, and the Bhāgavata Purāṇa commentaries of Jīva Gosvāmin, Śrīdhara Svāmin, and Vaṃśīdhara. He has held faculty positions at Mississippi State University and the University of Florida, teaching Sanskrit and Religion, and is currently a fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion and chair of the Dharma Academy of N. America.

12) Conceptual Space in the Purāṇas: An Overview by Venkatesh Chembrolu

Abstract:

The notion of space is so deeply embedded in every aspect of our conscious experience that most people in the world go through life without ever consciously thinking of it. It is natural to simply take space for granted. But philosophers throughout history have battled difficult questions like “what is space?” and “how does it come about?” A commonsense definition of space is “a boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction” – or in other words “space” is that aspect of physical reality which accommodates objects and events of our experience. Space in Vedic philosophy,however is characterized by the subtle ethereal element and centered around the activities of living entities in this world, rather than inanimate physical objects. To clearly distinguish it from “phenomenal” space, we coined the term “conceptual” space to represent its nature and characteristics, and suggest that “phenomenal” space stems from it.

Publication Info: Pūrva-pakṣa: Fine Tuning Opposing Views, Vol. 1, (Alachua, FL: RLTA, 2023), 81–86.

Notes: Based on a presentation given at the BIHS Vedic Cosmology Workshop III: “The Nature of Spacetime and the Evolving Universe: Exploring Puranic Cosmology,” February 19–20, 2022 in Gainesville, Florida.

Venkatesh Chembrolu (Vrindavana Priya) earned a PhD in Applied Physics from Stanford University, and during graduate school, he developed interest in the Vedic philosophy of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness and how it relates to modern philosophy and science. He has researched and given talks on topics such as Vedic Cosmology and Sāṅkhya, aimed toward exchanging thoughts/ideas on aspects Vedic knowledge attractive to curious intellectuals.

13) Viewing the Cosmos Through the Lens of Sāṅkhya by Edwin Bryant

Abstract:

Sāṅkhya is the earliest metaphysical system evidenced in Sanskrit texts, and became the most dominant metaphysical system in the post-Vedic schools thereafter, including that of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. Therefore, any attempt to engage the Bhāgavata in conversation with more or less any aspect of modern science can only involve Sāṅkhya metaphysics as the dialogue partner from the Indic side. This presentation will briefly introduce the early history of Sāṅkhya, it's extant sources, and some of its permutations in the Indic traditions. We will then try to think about the coherency of Sāṅkhya both from a macro to micro perspective, as well as from the reverse perspective, from micro to macro. Some preliminary thoughts about areas of overlap with science will be offered.

Publication Info: Pūrva-pakṣa: Fine Tuning Opposing Views, Vol. 1, (Alachua, FL: RLTA, 2023), 9–20.

Edwin Bryant (Advaita Prabhu) received his PhD in Indic Languages and Cultures from Columbia University. He taught Hinduism at Harvard University for three years, and is presently the professor of Hinduism at Rutgers University. He has received numerous awards and fellowships, published eight books, and authored a number of articles on the earliest origins of the Vedic culture, yoga philosophy, and the Kṛṣṇa tradition.

14) History of Western Cosmology Discourse by S. E. Kreitzer

Abstract:

Western cosmology discourse begins with the Greeks, who used geocentric modeling. Although a good percentage of their material on this topic has been lost, we still have access to significant astronomical work produced throughout classical antiquity by a number of their first-rate thinkers including Plato, Aristotle, Archimedes, Strabo, and Ptolemy (whose model was active up until the 1500s). But one important point to keep in mind is the extent of the Persian empire during this period, which facilitated active communication between Greece and India. After the Renaissance polymath Nicolas Copernicus’ heliocentric model was published in 1576, Johannes Kepler and Galileo, both committed Roman Catholics, refined his ideas using more accurate observational data. Western astronomical developments during this period culminated with Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1727) and the Newtonian Synthesis, which became a major inspiration for the Western European enlightenment. Interestingly, the difference between Greek and Copernican models of the universe is small compared to the change within modern science between how the cosmos was understood at the turn of the last century and how it is understood now.

Notes: Based on a presentation given at the BIHS Vedic Cosmology Workshop I: “Taking the Fifth Canto,” October 31 – November 2, 2019 in Gainesville, Florida.

S. E. Kreitzer (Sthita-dhi-muni) assisted Richard Thompson (Sadāpūta), a founding member of the Bhaktivedanta Institute, after moving to Florida in the 1990s. While pursuing graduate studies at the University of Florida in History of Science (PhD 2013), he established the Richard L. Thompson Archives with Bob Cohen and others to facilitate access to Thompson’s work. He teaches American History and History of Science at Santa Fe College and the University of Florida.

15) Comparative Analysis of Cosmological Concepts of Srimad Bhagavatam with Modern Astrophysics by Vasyl Semenov and Yevheniia Semenova

Abstract:

In this presentation we compare cosmological concepts of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with those of modern cosmology and astrophysics. In particular, we study the phases of the universe's creation and dissolution as presented in two recent books by Roger Penrose, The Cycles of Time and The Road to Reality. He explains in these works that the universe goes through cycles, where new Big Bangs continually occur, each having been born out of a previous collapse phase. These concepts very closely match the presentation given in the Bhāgavatam. We also show parallels in the Western understanding of multiple universes based on cosmological inflation with the Vedic version based on the Third and Fifth Cantos of the Bhāgavatam. The main essential difference is that the Bhāgavatam account is based on an understanding that consciousness is the agency directing all observable phenomena.

Publication Info: 2019 Consciousness in Science Conference: Partial Collection of Abstracts and Papers, (Alachua, FL: BIHS, 2023), 110–12.

Notes: Based on a presentation given at the 2019 BIHS Conference: “Consciousness in Science,” January 18–20, 2019 in Gainesville, Florida.