Program and Session Allocations – International Conference on Vedānta & Science 2026

[Dr Sumangala]

Dear Esteemed Colleagues,

I hope this message finds you well. We are pleased to inform you that the proposed schedule, session structure, and talk titles for the upcoming "International conference Vedānta & Science 2026" have now been finally updated and published on the conference website.

https://scsmathworldwide.com/conferences/vedantaandscience/2026/#sessions

🌐 International Conference on Vedānta & Science 2026

📍 Nepal Time (NPT) | 9–10 May 2026

Theme: From Unity to Multiplicity: The Unfolding of Structured Wholeness

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🔶 DAY 1: Foundations of Reality, Life, and Consciousness

Saturday, 9 May 2026

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🕖 Opening Session

7:00 AM – 7:15 AM (NPT)

📌 Registration & Seating

7:15 AM – 7:30 AM (NPT)

📌 Invocation, Technical Coordination & Opening Announcements

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🔷 Session 1: Inaugural Plenary — The Ontological Foundation

Setting the philosophical and epistemological axis of the conference

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🎤 Śrīla Bhakti Niṣkāma Śānta Mahārāj, Ph.D.

Sevait-President-Acharya, Śrī Chaitanya Saraswat Maṭh, Narasiṁha Palli, Nabadwip Dham, West Bengal, India

7:30 AM – 8:30 AM (NPT)

• Lecture: 45 Minutes 

• Q/A: 15 Minutes 

From Zygote to Cosmos: Reclaiming Wholeness as the Missing Principle in Evolution and Science

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🎤 Śrīla Bhakti Vijñāna Muni Mahārāj, Ph.D.

President, Śrī Chaitanya Saraswat Institute, Narasiṁha Palli, Nabadwip Dham, West Bengal, India

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM (NPT)

• Lecture: 45 Minutes 

• Q/A: 15 Minutes 

Divine Knowledge and Living Reality: Re-establishing Consciousness as the Foundation of Science and Spiritual Inquiry

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🔷 Special Invited Lecture (Day 1 Feature)

Beyond Darwin and Mechanism

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🎤 James A. Shapiro, Ph.D.

Professor of Microbiology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, USA

9:30 AM – 11:00 AM (NPT)

Evolutionary Theory No Longer Controls Biology: Life Changes Itself

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🍽 Lunch Break

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM (NPT)

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🔷 Session 2: Physics, Order, and the Nature of Reality

Exploring whether the universe is mechanistic or consciousness-grounded

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🎤 Gopi Chandra Kaphle, Ph.D.

Professor, Central Department of Physics, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

12:00 PM – 12:40 PM (NPT)

• Lecture: 30 Minutes 

• Q/A: 10 Minutes 

Order, Law, and Consciousness: Re-examining the Foundations of Physical Reality

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🎤 Srivas Krishna Das Brahmachari, Ph.D.

Founding Chairman, Sri Nrsimha Dham Kshetra Tripura Sundari-1, Salyantar Dhading, Nepal

12:40 PM – 1:20 PM (NPT)

• Lecture: 30 Minutes 

• Q/A: 10 Minutes 

Observer-Centered Reality: Quantum Mechanics and the Reconsideration of Consciousness in Physics

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🔷 Session 3: Biology and the Question of Life’s Origin

Direct engagement with Darwinism, reductionism, and biological organization

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🎤 Mohan Kharel, Ph.D.

Retd. Professor, Central Department of Biotechnology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

1:20 PM – 2:00 PM (NPT)

• Lecture: 30 Minutes 

• Q/A: 10 Minutes 

Biological Information and the Question of Origin: Limits of Molecular Explanations in Life Sciences

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🎤 M. V. Jagannadham, Ph.D.

Program Manager, Federation of Asian Biotech Association (FABA), Hyderabad, India

2:00 PM – 2:40 PM (NPT)

• Lecture: 30 Minutes 

• Q/A: 10 Minutes 

Biotechnology and the Illusion of Control: Can Life Be Engineered Without Understanding Its Essence?

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🔷 Session 4: Consciousness, Mind, and Medical Science

Bridging neuroscience, AI, and lived experience

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🎤 Sundeep Mishra, M.D.

Chairman, Cardiac Sciences, Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals; Former Professor, AIIMS, New Delhi, India

2:40 PM – 3:20 PM (NPT)

• Lecture: 30 Minutes 

• Q/A: 10 Minutes 

The Living Heart: Beyond Mechanics to Consciousness in Medical Science

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🎤 Braja Gopal Dās

IT Solutions Architect, Mphasis, India; Devotee Scholar, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math & Institute

3:20 PM – 4:00 PM (NPT)

• Lecture: 30 Minutes 

• Q/A: 10 Minutes 

Artificial Intelligence and Real Intelligence: Why Computation Cannot Replace Consciousness

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🎤 Sumangalā Devī Dāsī, Ph.D.

Devotee Scientist, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math & Institute, Nabadwip Dham, West Bengal, India

4:00 PM – 4:40 PM (NPT)

• Lecture: 30 Minutes 

• Q/A: 10 Minutes 

Can an Undisciplined Mind Understand Reality? Guru, Consciousness, and the Scientific Study of Life and the Universe

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🧠 Day 1 Concluding Panel Discussion

Is Consciousness Fundamental or Emergent?

4:40 PM – 5:40 PM (NPT)

Panelists:

• James A. Shapiro, Ph.D. 

• Gopi Chandra Kaphle, Ph.D. 

• Śrīla Bhakti Niṣkāma Śānta Mahārāj, Ph.D. 

• Śrīla Bhakti Vijñāna Muni Mahārāj, Ph.D. 

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🌅 Day 1 Closing

5:40 PM – 6:00 PM (NPT)

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🔶 DAY 2: Human Development, Society, and Application

Sunday, 10 May 2026

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🔷 Session 5: Education, Human Development, and Inner Science

Applying Vedāntic insights to human growth and learning systems

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🎤 Deependra Parajuli, Ph.D.

Director, Student Welfare and Sports Directorate, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

11:00 AM – 11:40 AM (NPT)

• Lecture: 30 Minutes 

• Q/A: 10 Minutes 

Human Development and Inner Science: Bridging Well-being, Consciousness, and Education Systems

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🎤 Govinda Ghimire

Professor, Central Department of Sanskrit, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

11:40 AM – 12:20 PM (NPT)

• Lecture: 30 Minutes 

• Q/A: 10 Minutes 

Sanskrit Knowledge Systems and Scientific Thought: Recovering the Language of Reality

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🎤 Bharat Chandra Das

Research Scholar, Research Institute of Nepalese History & Sanskrit Studies; Secretary, Sanatan Study & Research Academy (SSARA), Kathmandu, Nepal

12:20 PM – 01:00 PM (NPT)

• Lecture: 30 Minutes 

• Q/A: 10 Minutes 

Reclaiming Śabda-Pramāṇa: Language, Knowledge, and the Limits of Modern Epistemology

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🔷 Session 6: Nature, Ecology, and Living Systems

Holistic views of life beyond reductionist biology

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🎤 Chitra Bahadur Baniya, Ph.D.

Professor, Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

01:00 PM – 1:40 PM (NPT)

• Lecture: 30 Minutes 

• Q/A: 10 Minutes 

Life in Nature: Rethinking Plant Systems Through Holistic and Consciousness-Based Models

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🎤 Ram Prasad Aryal, Ph.D.

Professor, School of Development and Social Engineering; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Pokhara University, Nepal

1:40 PM – 2:20 PM (NPT)

• Lecture: 30 Minutes 

• Q/A: 10 Minutes 

Wholeness in Practice: The Role of Hindu and Buddhist Traditions in Shaping Spiritual Experience Among International Pilgrims in Nepal

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🔷 Special Applied Session

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🎤 Tanka Prasad Silwal

Principal, Ranipawa School, Salyantar Campus

2:20 PM – 3:00 PM (NPT)

• Lecture: 30 Minutes 

• Q/A: 10 Minutes 

Traditional Healing Practices and Modern Medical Science in Rural Nepal: Exploring Coexistence, Belief Systems, and Scientific Interpretations

________________________________________ 🎤 Sripad BV Paramarthi Maharaj

Sanatan Dharma Preacher, Australia

3:00 PM – 3:40 PM (NPT)

• Lecture: 30 Minutes 

• Q/A: 10 Minutes 

Science, Enquiry and Sanatan Dharma

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🍽 Break

3:40 PM – 4:00 PM (NPT)

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🔷 Interdisciplinary Integration & Open Discussion

4:00 PM – 4:45 PM (NPT)

Themes:

• Consciousness and Scientific Paradigms 

• Wholeness and Biological Organization 

• Vedānta and Physics 

• AI, Mind, and Subjectivity 

• Limits of Reductionism 

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🔶 Valedictory Session

Toward a Consciousness-Centered Paradigm of Science

4:45 PM – 6:00 PM (NPT)

Closing Reflections by:

• Śrīla Bhakti Niṣkāma Śānta Mahārāj, Ph.D. 

• Śrīla Bhakti Vijñāna Muni Mahārāj, Ph.D. 

• Selected Senior Scholars 

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🌿 Conference Closing Ceremony

6:00 PM – 6:15 PM (NPT)

We deeply appreciate your scholarly engagement and look forward to your valuable participation in what promises to be a significant international dialogue at the intersection of science and philosophy.

With respectful regards,

Sumangalā Devī Dāsī, Ph.D.

Organizing Committee

Vedānta & Science 2026