Hindu Theology and Biology: The Bhagavata Purana and Contemporary Theory

The subject of science and religion is growing into a robust field of study, yet the Hindu traditions are a virtually unused resource in responding to the challenging questions raised by it. When I asked the simple question of this book-How might a Hindu tradition respond to Darwin?-it quickly spiralled out into so many other questions that I found myself continually trying to hone in upon more specific questions. As I hope to show here, the questions themselves act as a catalyst for seeing the science and religion dialogue, and the Hindu theologies themselves through different lenses, ones that promise to bring out nascent aspects of each tradition, forcing each one to draw upon resources within themselves that might otherwise go unnoticed and undeveloped. I hope to show that the questions are opportunities for greater self-understanding and growth among all parties involved.