Second International Conference
Dialogue between
Vedanta & Science 👊🏻🤛🏻 

Beyond Atoms and Algorithms

Reclaiming Epistemology through Vedānta in Dialogue with Science and Philosophy

December 5–6, 2025

Venue: PB Siddhartha College Auditorium
Siddhartha Nagar, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India
☁️ Best offers ☁️ Free delivery ☁️ Perfect design ☁️ Comfort ☁️ Support 24/7 ☁️ Vibes
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Scientific Saṅkīrtan Visionaries

Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj
Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj
Gauḍīya Vedānta Philosopher
Founder-Āchārya, Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh
Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Mahārāj Prabhupād
Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Mahārāj Prabhupād
Gauḍīya Vedānta Philosopher
Founder-Āchārya, Bhaktivedanta Institute
Śrīla Bhaktisvarūp Dāmodar Goswāmī Mahārāj, Ph.D.
Śrīla Bhaktisvarūp Dāmodar Goswāmī Mahārāj, Ph.D. 
Scientist and Gauḍīya Vedānta Philosopher
Founding Director, Bhaktivedanta Institute
Śrīla Bhakti Niṣkāma Śānta Mahārāj, Ph.D.
Śrīla Bhakti Niṣkāma Śānta Mahārāj, Ph.D.
Scientist and Gauḍīya Vedānta Philosopher
President-Sevāit-Ācārya, Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh, Nr̥siṁha Palli, Śrī Nabadwīp Dhām

🌏 Conference Overview

When we place a stick in a glass of water, it appears bent to the eyes, yet when touched with the hand it feels straight. This simple phenomenon raises a profound question: what is the true process of acquiring knowledge, and which principle genuinely guides us in discerning truth from illusion?

Modern science, philosophy, and religious reform all wrestle with this central question, but the Gauḍīya conclusion is clear: only knowledge descending through śāstra, Guru, and the bona fide disciplic succession can be considered vidyā. All else—however acclaimed in intellectual or cultural circles—remains a form of avidyā.

Contemporary education, under the banners of science and philosophy, has confined knowledge within a materialist framework, where atoms, molecules, and impersonal forces dominate the narrative. Reductionist ideology proclaims that the uniformity of electrons, magnetic forces, or energies forms the foundation of reality—while the uniqueness, dignity, and irreducibility of living individuality are ignored. In this worldview, life itself is reduced to nothing more than a mechanical extension of matter.

Such misconceptions have had devastating social consequences. Darwin’s theory of natural selection—though posed as a biological hypothesis—became an ideological weapon that legitimized racism, imperialism, and oppressive hierarchies. Darwin himself invoked “survival of the fittest” to justify colonial exploitation of peoples with black and brown skin. This framework rationalized European imperialism in Africa and Asia, gave rise to the pseudo-science of eugenics, and even helped nourish the racial doctrines that culminated in the Holocaust. Thus, in the guise of studying “life,” modern science has often reinforced white supremacy and sanctioned systemic exploitation.

Meanwhile, the determinism of classical physics—exemplified by Laplace’s claim that perfect knowledge of natural laws could predict the future—stripped life of freedom, purpose, and agency. Although quantum mechanics has exposed the naivety of such determinism—revealing instead that knowledge itself depends on the observer’s concepts and methods of experimentation—the broader scientific establishment clings stubbornly to mechanistic ideology.

Biology remains similarly trapped. The obsession with the genome has obscured the deeper truth that the secret of life is not contained in DNA alone, but in the living cell as an integrated, self-organizing organism. To study life as though it were dead matter is like a man searching for his lost keys under a lamppost simply because there is light there, ignoring the place where they were actually lost.

It is a tragic sign of spiritual misfortune that even some within Gauḍīya circles now suggest that Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj and Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur Prabhupād—the stalwart guardians of the transcendental current—were somehow “uninformed” about Western philosophical profundities. Intoxicated by intellectual vanity, such persons accuse our Āchāryas of “unnecessary critique,” failing to recognize that their critiques arose from a clear vision rooted in divya-jñāna—transcendental knowledge descending through the eternal current of service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Even the celebrated philosopher G.W.F. Hegel, in his critique of subjective knowledge, proposed an “objective knowledge” that seeks to view the object as if through the eye of God. Yet, Hegel’s attempt remains bound within the realm of intellectual speculation. Only Gauḍīya Vedānta reveals the true path to divine vision: not by abstract cognition, but by cultivating the mood of surrender and selfless love for the Supreme. Without such surrender and divine love, the pursuit of “objective knowledge” becomes hollow—a means for name and fame, but in essence nothing more than refined exploitation.

The Vedas distinguish between two categories of knowledge:

1. Apara-vidyā – lower, mundane knowledge, concerning economics, medicine, warfare, politics, and temporal sciences.

2. Para-vidyā – transcendental knowledge, concerning the jīva, Paramātmā, Bhagavān, bhakti, līlā, and the eternal spiritual domain.

Only knowledge received through the śrauta-pantha—the path of hearing from genuine representatives of the Lord—qualifies as vidyā. Independent attempts to ascertain truth through speculative philosophy, experimental science, or reformist zeal remain branded by the Vedic sages as avidyā, ignorance.

Vedānta offers an alternative epistemology that restores dignity to the pursuit of truth. It recognizes five hierarchical levels of knowing:

1. pratyakṣa (direct perception),
2. parokṣa (knowledge from others),
3. aparokṣa (self-awareness),
4. adhokṣaja (transcendental revelation), and
5. aprākṛta (the realm of divine love).

These stages unveil reality not as impersonal or mechanical, but as personal, relational, and grounded in consciousness and love. They invite us to see that individuality is not a defect but the very essence of existence, and that ultimate knowledge descends through revelation, not through mechanical dissection of matter.

This conference, held under the banner of the Dialogue between Vedānta and Science by Śrī Chaitanya Saraswat Maṭh and Institute, Nṛsiṁha Palli, Śrī Nabadwīp Dhām, West Bengal, India, seeks to confront today’s epistemological crises. Our aim is not to reject the genuine achievements of science, but to free epistemology from the confines of materialist ideology. By critically engaging with reductionism, determinism, Darwinism, and the ideological abuses of science, while presenting the Vedāntic vision of consciousness and transcendence, this gathering seeks to re-establish knowledge upon its true foundation: a science enriched by philosophy and fulfilled in the light of Vedānta.

Against this backdrop, scientists, philosophers, and reformers who claim transcendental authority while disconnected from the Guru-paramparā must be recognized as what they are—cloaked atheists, presenting ignorance in the guise of wisdom.

This gathering reaffirms the living Gauḍīya siddhānta and stands as a reminder that true knowledge is never manufactured by flickering intellect, but eternally descends through the current of divine revelation—through śravaṇa, sādhu-saṅga, and sevā.

01.

True knowledge is not manufactured by intellect but descends through śāstra, Guru, and the disciplic succession.

02.

Reductionist science degrades life to atoms and forces, ignoring the irreducible dignity of individuality.

03.

Darwinism became an ideology that justified racism, colonialism, eugenics, and even the Holocaust.

04.

Classical determinism stripped life of freedom and purpose, while quantum mechanics revealed the dependence of knowledge on observer and method.

05.

Biology’s fixation on the genome blinds us to the cell’s holistic reality as a sentient, self-organizing being.

06.

Intellectual vanity now dares to dismiss our Gauḍīya Āchāryas as “uninformed,” forgetting their vision was rooted in divya-jñāna.

07.

Even Hegel’s pursuit of “objective knowledge” remains bound to intellect; only Gauḍīya Vedānta reveals surrender and divine love as the true key to wisdom.

08.

Vedic thought distinguishes apara-vidyā (lower sciences) from para-vidyā (transcendental knowledge of the soul, God, and bhakti).

09.

Vedānta offers five stages of knowing, culminating in aprākṛta-jñāna—the realm of divine love beyond intellect.

10.

This dialogue of Vedānta and Science seeks to liberate epistemology from materialist ideology and re-establish knowledge on its eternal foundation of consciousness, revelation, and love.

Conference Sub-Themes & Session Topics

Why Atoms Cannot Explain Persons
The Limits of Reductionism

Why Atoms Cannot Explain Persons

1. Critique of modern education’s materialist epistemology: electrons, forces, and energies treated as the foundation of reality while individuality is ignored.
2. How reductionist science neglects the irreducible uniqueness of life and consciousness.
3. Vedānta’s affirmation that personality and individuality are not illusions but the highest reality.

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The Role of Subjectivity in Knowledge
Consciousness Beyond Computation

The Role of Subjectivity in Knowledge

1. Why cognition, sentience, and subjective experience cannot be explained through physical sciences alone.
2. The four defects of mundane perception (bhrama, pramāda, vipralipsā, karaṇāpāṭava) and their impact on empirical science.
3. How Vedānta offers a transcendental epistemology (śabda-brahma) that perfects and completes empirical and rational methods.

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Evolutionary Theory, Imperialism, and Social Consequences
Darwinism and Its Discontents

Evolutionary Theory, Imperialism, and Social Consequences

1. How Darwin’s “struggle for existence” shaped colonial ideologies, racism, and eugenics.
2. The misuse of natural selection to justify oppression (Africa, Holocaust, racial hierarchies).
3. The need for a theistic science that acknowledges divine purpose, dignity of life, and universal individuality.

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From Laplace to Modern Biology
Determinism vs. Freedom

From Laplace to Modern Biology

1. Why Laplacian determinism failed in light of modern physics and biology.
2. Biological systems as evidence of internal teleology and cognitive agency.
3. Why biology cannot be reduced to physics and chemistry: the case for a science of concepts over a science of laws.

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The Limits of Objectivity
Quantum Mechanics

The Limits of Objectivity

1. The role of the observer in measurement: knowledge as inseparable from the knower’s framework and method of experimentation.
2. How quantum indeterminacy challenges the deterministic worldview and calls for a deeper epistemology.
3. Vedānta’s parallel insight: that reality is relational and consciousness-centered, not impersonal and mechanical.

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The Question of Consciousness
Artificial Intelligence

The Question of Consciousness

1. Why computation and algorithms, however advanced, cannot generate genuine subjectivity, selfhood, or free will.
2. The difference between artificial pattern recognition and living cognition rooted in consciousness.
3. Vedānta’s challenge to AI-reductionism: life and awareness cannot be engineered from matter, for they descend from a higher plane of reality.

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Five Levels of Knowing
The Epistemology of Vedānta

Five Levels of Knowing

1. Pratyakṣa (direct perception) and its limits.
2. Parokṣa (knowledge from others) and its provisional validity.
3. Aparokṣa (self-knowing) and the error of impersonalism.
4. Adhokṣaja (transcendental revelation) as higher knowledge descending from above.
5. Aprākṛta (love-based knowledge in divine play) as the crown of epistemology.

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Vedānta as the Future of Science and Philosophy
Towards a New Synthesis

Vedānta as the Future of Science and Philosophy

1. Overcoming the “lamp-post fallacy”: why life cannot be studied solely through physical tools.
2. The necessity of integrating śabda (revealed knowledge) with pratyakṣa and anumāna (empiricism and inference).
3. Vedānta’s offer of a holistic epistemology for the 21st century—unifying science, philosophy, and religion in the search for truth.

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FAQs

This Second International Conference "Dialogue between Vedanta & Science 👊🏻🤛🏻" seeks to transcend the materialist limits of modern science and philosophy by reclaiming epistemology through the Vedāntic vision, where individuality, consciousness, and divine revelation stand at the center of reality.

The conference will be held on December 5–6, 2025, followed by a post-conference tour on December 7, 2025.


This conference will take place at the PB Siddhartha College Auditorium, Siddhartha Nagar, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India.

👥 Organizers
Srila Bhakti Niskama Shanta Maharaj (Ph.D. in Ocean Engineering from IIT-Kharagpur)
Conference Chair
Sevait-President-Acharya, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Nrisingha Palli, Nabadwip Dham, West Bengal, India

Srila Bhakti Vijnana Muni Maharaj (Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from IIT-Kharagpur)
Conference Co-Chair
President, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Institute, Nrisingha Palli, Nabadwip Dham, West Bengal, India

P. Srinivasa Rao, Ph.D.
Conference Committee Member
Head of the Department of Botany, Parvathaneni Brahmayya Siddhartha College of Arts and Science, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India

A. Samba Naik, Ph.D.
Conference Committee Member
Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology, Parvathaneni Brahmayya Siddhartha College of Arts and Science, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India

K. Ratna Kumari, Ph.D.
Conference Committee Member
Assistant Professor, Department of Biotechnology, Parvathaneni Brahmayya Siddhartha College of Arts and Science, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India

Braja Kishora Das (Bharath Cherukuri, M.D., D.M.)
Conference Committee Member
Professor, Critical Care, NRI Medical College & General Hospital, Mangalagiri, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India & Devotee Scientist, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and Institute, Nrisingha Palli, Nabadwip Dham, West Bengal, India

Sumangala Devi Dasi, Ph.D.
Conference Committee Member
Devotee Scientist, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and Institute, Nrisingha Palli, Nabadwip Dham, West Bengal, India

Braja Gopal Das
Conference Coordinator
Devotee Scholar, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and Institute, Nrisingha Palli, Nabadwip Dham, West Bengal, India

🏛 Organized By
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and Institute, Nrisingha Palli, Nabadwip Dham, West Bengal, India

🤝 In Association With (Host Institute)
Departments of Biological Sciences, Parvathaneni Brahmayya Siddhartha College of Arts and Science, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India

The detailed conference schedule will be made available here once finalized, including session topics, keynote speakers, and panel discussions. Please check back soon for updates.

Who Should Attend?
This conference warmly invites:

1. Scholars, researchers, and students of science, philosophy, and religion
2. Practicing scientists interested in exploring the role of consciousness in knowledge
3. Philosophers seeking a dialogue between Vedānta and Western thought
4. Spiritual practitioners and seekers wishing to deepen their understanding of epistemology
5. Members of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava community and the broader public who value the harmony of science and spirituality

Together, we will explore how Vedānta and science can enrich one another in the quest for truth.

We are excited to welcome you to the Second International Conference "Dialogue between Vedanta & Science 👊🏻🤛🏻, taking place in PB Siddhartha College Auditorium, Siddhartha Nagar, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India from December 5–6, 2025, followed by a post-conference tour on December 7, 2025. Mark your calendar and stay on track with these key deadlines:

🔑 Key Deadlines
Abstract Submission Opens: October 1, 2025
Extended Abstract Submission Deadline: November 10, 2025

Abstract Acceptance Notification: November 20, 2025

📝 Registration Timeline
Registration Opens: October 1, 2025
Early Bird Registration Ends: November 10, 2025

Registration Ends: December 1, 2025

🎓 Conference Schedule
Main Conference: December 5–6, 2025
Post-conference tour: December 7, 2025

⚡ Stay ahead of the deadlines—submit your abstracts and register early to secure your place at this landmark international event!

Register Now!

Join us for an inspiring gathering of scholars, researchers, and professionals at the Second International Conference "Dialogue between Vedanta & Science 👊🏻🤛🏻"

Beyond Atoms and Algorithms: Reclaiming Epistemology through Vedānta in Dialogue with Science and Philosophy

Secure your spot today and be part of this global exchange of knowledge and collaboration.



💰 Registration Fees
Early Bird (International Participants before 10th November 2025): 200 USD
Regular Fee (International Participants): 250 USD

Students: Rs. 550 INR (special concession)
Students with Accommodation (Conference Days Only): Rs. 1500 INR

Early Bird with Accommodation (Indian Participants before 10th November 2025): Rs. 2000 INR
Regular Fee with Accommodation (Indian Participants): Rs. 2500 INR

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🏨 What Your Registration Includes
✔ Conference Material
✔ Delicious conference lunch and dinner for 2 days
✔ Full access to all presentations and the pre-conference workshop
✔ Local transportation from place of accommodation to the conference venue
✔ Post conference tour to holy Krishna River and Laxmi Narashinga and Pana Narashiga Darasan at Managalgir

🔗 Registration Links
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🇮🇳 [Indian Participants – Register via Direct Bank Transfer or UPI Payment as mentioned below.
(Please send us via email the details of your conference registration fee payment)

✨ Take this opportunity to network, learn, and grow in a world-class academic environment. Seats are limited—book yours today!

Scholars, scientists, philosophers, and spiritual thinkers are invited to contribute to the upcoming Second International Conference "Dialogue between Vedanta & Science 👊🏻🤛🏻" on Beyond Atoms and Algorithms: Reclaiming Epistemology through Vedānta in Dialogue with Science and Philosophy, organized by Śrī Chaitanya Saraswat Maṭh and Institute, Nṛsiṁha Palli, Śrīdhām Nabadwīp. The conference seeks original research and reflective papers that explore the foundations of knowledge across diverse disciplines—ranging from quantum mechanics and biology to Vedāntic metaphysics and theological thought. Submissions may address themes such as: the role of experiment and perception in shaping knowledge, the living organism beyond reductionist genomics, the limitations of materialist epistemology, the significance of consciousness in inquiry, and the Gauḍīya Vedānta vision of divine love as the highest epistemic culmination.

Abstract Submission Deadline: 10 November 2025
Notification of Acceptance: 15 November 2025
Conference Dates: 5–6 December 2025

Submission Guidelines: Abstracts should be between 1500–3000 words and submitted as a Word document. Please include the title, author(s) name(s), affiliation(s), and contact information (email and phone number).

Send your abstracts to: 📧 info@scsmathworldwide.com


📌 For any assistance or suggestions in preparing your abstract, as well as for further ℹ️ information about the conference, you may contact us via 📞 Phone / 💬 WhatsApp call/chat at: +91-9748906907

Registration

Please send us an email after completing your registration fee payment.

💰 Registration Fees
1. Early Bird (International Participants before 10th November 2025): 200 USD
2. Regular Fee (International Participants): 250 USD
3. Students: Rs. 550 INR (special concession)
4. Students with Accommodation (Conference Days Only): Rs. 1500 INR
5. Early Bird with Accommodation (Indian Participants before 10th November 2025): Rs. 2000 INR
6. Regular Fee with Accommodation (Indian Participants): Rs. 2500 INR


👉 Don’t miss the Early Bird advantage – register now to save!

Registration Fee

Tentative List of Speakers

Srila Bhakti Vijnana Muni Maharaj, Ph.D.

Beyond Human Logic: Gaudiya Vedānta, Guru-Paramparā, and the Avaroha Path of Surrendered Epistemology

Srila Bhakti Vijnana Muni Maharaj, Ph.D.
President, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Institute, Nrisingha Palli, Nabadwip Dham, West Bengal, India
Brian J. Ford

Physics Transcended: Cell Intelligence and the Nurture of Healing

Brian J. Ford
Gonville & Caius College,
Trinity Street,
Cambridge University, United
Kingdom
Fellow of Cardiff University,
Honorary Fellow of the Royal
Microscopical Society, President
Emeritus of Cambridge Society
for the Advancement of
Research.
Sumangala Devi Dasi, Ph.D.

Reclaiming Reality: Vedānta’s Relevance in a World Enslaved by Science

Sumangala Devi Dasi, Ph.D.
Devotee Scientist, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and Institute, Nrisingha Palli, Nabadwip Dham, West Bengal, India

Joan Walton, Ph.D.

Pushing Back the Frontiers of Knowing

Joan Walton, Ph.D.
Senior Lecturer, School of Education/Ph.D. Supervisor York St John University, United Kingdom
Srila Bhakti Niskama Shanta Maharaj, Ph.D.

Beyond Linear Progress: Reclaiming Epistemology Through Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism—A Critique of Darwinism, Western Science, and the Need for an Avaroha Perspective

Srila Bhakti Niskama Shanta Maharaj, Ph.D.
Sevait-President-Acharya, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Nrisingha Palli, Nabadwip Dham, West Bengal, India
Bal Ram Singh, Ph.D.

Expansion of Science by its Integration with Dharmic Concepts of Origin of Matter and Evolution

Bal Ram Singh, Ph.D.
Retd. Professor, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, USA and Director, Botulinum Research Center, Institute of Advanced Sciences, Dartmouth, USA
Bal Ram Singh, Ph.D.

Rethinking Medical Knowledge: Epistemology, Origins, and the Limits of Symptom-Based Treatment in Modern Science

Braja Kishora Das (Bharath Cherukuri, M.D., D.M.)
Professor, Critical Care, NRI Medical College & General Hospital, Mangalagiri, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India & Devotee Scientist, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and Institute, Nrisingha Palli, Nabadwip Dham, West Bengal, India

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Conference Organizers and Partners

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Nrisingha Palli
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Nrisingha Palli
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Nrisingha Palli
Indian Council of Philosophical Research
Pratap Hospital - Plastic Surgery Institute

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