Taking the Fifth Canto

To view the brochure for Vedic Cosmology Workshop I – click here

Date: October 31 – November 2, 2019; Gainesville, Florida

The Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies (BIHS) is creating a compendium of historical and contemporary thought concerning Puranic cosmography and its relation to the observable universe. To aid our research, we are we are requesting written submissions for models and/or paradigms that attempt to explain the structure of the universe as described in the Puranas, with special reference to the 5th Canto of the Bhagavata Purana.

Topics include:

The apparent motion of the Sun, Moon and Nakshatras

Explanations of Bhu-mandala

Vertical dimensions of the cosmos (i.e. the meaning of ‘height’ in the 5th Canto)

Higher planetary systems

Bilva-svarga

Chandelier models
Geo vs. Heliocentric models

Historical reviews

Hermeneutical considerations

The accuracy of the Surya Siddhanta

Puranic cosmography as observed in the sky

Size of the universe

Nature of the stars

This is an open request for information from the devotee population at large.  Whether you are a casual-but-thoughtful reader of the Bhagavatam or have spent your life scrutinizing the details of the Puranic cosmology, we would love to hear from you.  We welcome a full range of perspectives and models.  We will explore the many correlations with modern astronomy and the Surya-siddhanta that have been suggested from within the Bhagavat Vedanta tradition, as well as from general scholarship, both historically and currently.