Exploring Purānic Visions of the Universe (2025)
Exploring Purānic Visions of the Universe is based on a video presentation by Richard Cole, which premiered at “Cosmology of the Bhāgavata Purāna: Current Research on History, Philosophy, and Science,” sponsored by the Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies (BIHS) in November, 2023. His video summarizes research by members, collaborators, and friends of the BIHS concerning Purānic cosmology, with a focus on the Fifth Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The narrative begins with an overview of Purānic universe and a close look into the Sūrya-siddhānta, revealing apparently contradictory pictures of our cosmos.
The video continues with a survey of the wide range of models that have been presented in the past 50 years by researchers affiliated with the Gaudīya Vaisnava tradition, highlighting the wealth of information concerning our cosmos that is embedded within the Vedic literature, and noting that the ultimate aim of the vast material display is for enhancing the individual’s relationship with the Supreme Person, Śrī Krsna.
About the author: Richard J. Cole (Radha Mohan) graduated from University of Salford in 1992 with a BA in Media and Performing Arts, 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 is an associate of both the BIHS and the RLTA.
Softbound, 75 pages. 7" x 10"
