A quick search on YouTube or practically any other platform will reveal several videos, articles, podcasts, etc. from flat earthers. Not only they produce a lot of content, but many can be quite forceful about their opinions.
In western societies, the first one to accurately measure the Earth’s circumference was the Greek astronomer Eratosthenes, more than 2000 years ago. By measuring the differences in the direction of the sun in the nearby cities of Alexandria and Syene, he concluded that the Earth’s circumference was 42,000 km, very close to modern estimates. Similarly, other simple experiments made by different astronomers and philosophers of antiquity successfully confirmed that the earth we live in is indeed a globe, without mentioning more recent information.
This is also confirmed in the Vedas. The Surya Siddhanta gives the diameter of the earth, as well as the diameters and orbits of different planets. Similarly, the Srimad Bhagavatam (SB 5.21.8-9) states that night prevails diametrically opposite to a point where it is day and, likewise, the sun sets at a point opposite where it rises, hinting to the fact that the Earth is a globe.
The Vedas state that not only the Earth but other planets of our Universe are spheres floating in space, and indeed that’s something we can confirm with our senses. Anyone who goes high enough in the sky can see the curvature of the planet. Therefore, we can say that according to our sense perception, our planet, as well as other planets are global spheres.
However, the Vedas also gives another view of the Universe, and that’s actually what is behind the flat earth theory.
The Puranas, including the Srimad Bhagavatam, describe a complex Universe, composed of multiple dimensions, interplanetary pathways, and other features that are quite far out. According to them, not only reality is much more complex than we can perceive with our senses, but different beings have different sets of senses and can perceive the Universe in different ways. Just like the conception of reality of a human is much more evolved than the concept of reality of an ant, superior beings perceive the Universe in a very different way than we do.
Being able to travel on the subtle dimension, using vimanas and interplanetary pathways, these higher beings see the Universe as something much more accessible, with places in different planets being very close to each other. To understand how this could be possible, we could use a simple example: imagine two tall buildings built beside each other. Normally, to go from an apartment on the top of the first building to another on the top of the second, one would have to go all the way down and then all the way up, which could be a long way. If he had access to a walkway between the two buildings, he could go from one apartment to the other very easily. For him, the distance between the two apartments would be very short, while for other people, that had to take the long way, it would still be very far. This same concept is also contemplated in the theory of wormholes from modern physics.
Another concept given in the Puranas is the idea of a subtle vertical dimension. More than just a change in geographical location, to access higher planets one has to also change his consciousness, which can be done only by practicing a spiritual process of self-realization.
According to our tridimensional view of reality, the moon is situated at about 384,000 km from earth, and one can reach it in about three days in a space probe. If one goes there, however, he will find only dust and rocks. The Puranas however, state that the moon is actually a celestial planet, with a standard of living much superior to our planet. To access it, however, one has to develop a very subtle consciousness, similar to the superior beings who live there. Without this change in consciousness, one may go to the moon, but he will see only rocks.
In this connection, another example can be given. Let’s presume someone wants to visit an office in a prestigious building in Manhattan. He takes a taxi and goes to the address. He went to the right place in the horizontal dimension, but now he has to use the stairs or the elevator to also travel in the vertical dimension. If his credentials don’t allow him to enter the building, he will be stuck in the street. Similarly, when a human being goes to the moon, he will not be able to travel in the subtle vertical dimension and will thus be stuck in the gross dimension, where there is only dust and rocks.
The Puranas states that the celestial moon is actually pretty far from the Earth in the subtle vertical dimension, even further away than the other planets of our solar system. To reach there, one has to radically change his level of consciousness. Not only are there different levels according to one’s consciousness, but there are also different perceptions of reality according to the set of senses one has. Different beings, with different sets of senses, can perceive reality in radically different ways.
This can also be explained with a simple example. In the same room, we can have access to radio signals in different frequencies, like AM, FM, TV, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, etc. the signal in each frequency carries a different set of information, and they are all available simultaneously, without interfering with each other. However, the signal one has access to depends on the device he is using. One who is using an old radio will be able to capture only sound, while others with a television will be able to also see images. One with a phone, on the other hand, will have access to the Internet, which includes much more content, including the radio and TV programs. Similarly, our universe is composed of different dimensions and we can syntonize in each one according to the particular set of senses we got, which is in turn determined by our previous consciousness. Therefore, the process to access the celestial moon involves not only changing one’s consciousness and thus traveling in the subtle vertical dimension but also acquiring a particular set of senses. In the past, this was an art understood by yogis, who were able to travel through the Universe by elevating their consciousness and transferring it to the desired planet.
What all of this has to do with flat earthers? The point is that the description of the universe given in the Puranas can be easily misunderstood as a description of a flat earth. In this description, different intermediary planets (like ours) are grouped together in a flat plane called Bhu-mandala, which resembles the orbits of the planets of our solar system, while the higher planets float above, and the lower realms lie below.
This hierarchical description of the Universe given in the Puranas matches the sense perception of higher beings. They can easily go from one planet to the other and for them, everything is connected. In fact, the Vedas describe that subtle passages in the Himalayas connect our planet to the celestial realms, and persons who are sufficiently qualified can use them to travel through the Universe, just like the Pandavas in the Mahabharata. However, for one who doesn’t have the appropriate consciousness, the passages remain invisible, and he can only go from India to China or vice-versa.
One who doesn’t understand all these sophisticated concepts gets the impression that the Puranas describe a flat earth. The Vedas also explain that before the beginning of Kali-yuga, our present age, different peoples of antiquity were part of a global Vedic culture, and thus had access to the same knowledge. This explains how different groups had a similar view of the universe, from the Chinese to the American Indians, including practically everyone in between.
However, with the passage of time, the most advanced concepts were forgotten, and these different civilizations became stuck with a flat earth concept. This concept ended being described also in the Bible and in the Quran, leading to the modern flat-earth theories. Flat earthers are thus actually not totally wrong, the problem is that they base their beliefs in impoverished incomplete descriptions of the Vedic Cosmos, failing to understand its higher aspects.
The modern view of the cosmos is purely based on our sense perception, which leads to a mechanistic view of the Universe that discards all the subtle and spiritual aspects. Many people instinctively disagree with this materialistic explanation and start looking for a more holistic view of the cosmos, that accounts for the subtle dimensions they can understand and sometimes even perceive.
It’s not a wonder thus that there is a growing interest in Vedic Cosmology. The Vedas offer a much more complete view of the Universe, which accounts for both gross and subtle aspects and allows for the expansion of our consciousness. By meditating in the subtle aspects of the Universe described in the Vedas, one can gradually elevate his consciousness and attain the same level of awareness as higher beings. Conversely, the materialistic view of the universe offered by modern science offers one a dead universe, that leads only to the stagnation of one’s consciousness.
The fact that our planet is a globe also illustrates another concept given in the Vedas. We think we are imprisoned on this planet because of the law of gravity, but actually, we are prisoners of our own consciousness. One who tries to access higher realms by mechanical means will not be able to go anywhere, just like a person who tries to escape our planet by walking will just come back to the same place after circumambulating the globe. He may go to mars or venus, but without changing his consciousness he will remain stuck in this gross dimension and will not be able to find anything interesting there.
Real freedom is thus connected with the expansion of one’s own consciousness. Without a change in consciousness, one may go anywhere in the cosmos, but he will remain in prison.