Earthquake and Tsunami

Sorry about the long break from blogging.

Work, work and more work coming my way which is good for the mind.

What shook me out of my stupor is the devastating earthquake and Tsunami.
Just 2 days before this event, yahoo had put up a picture of a big moon with a caption 'supermoon...' The explanation which was given was the moon will be very close to earth on the 19th March.
I shared this piece of news one day before the tsunami, with my husband over our morning cup of coffee. I was saying, this natural phenomenon means there will be an earthquake of high magnitude but to find out where, I din't have the time to check out on some things.
Varahamihira, the great handed down some gems of predictions based on the natural phenomena perhaps after observing keenly nature over a period of time, so many centuries back. It holds good even today!
Many question the logic behind these superstitions yet there appears to be solid reasoning behind what is to come in a given circumstance.

Let me quote some examples of what has been handed down to us by our wise rishi-munis.

1.
An eclipse will result in natural calamities like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc.
I have followed this one since the past 11 years out of interest. I have observed, especially after a total solar eclipse there has always been an earthquake of more than 5.5 Richter scale in one region or the other. Then there are volcanoes which get quite active after eclipses.
This is not mere superstition.
Though earthquakes keep occurring all the time in one part or the other all over the world, it is the magnitude plus the duration which matters (and these invariably occur after or around eclipses), it shakes up the earth unlike the mild tremors which keep adjusting the plates across the land mass or continents.
My observations have led me to believe that lunar eclipses or moon moving closer to earth leads to gravitational pulls of the vast water mass which in turn disturbs the land plates. Hence the earthquakes and at times followed by tsunamis - mild or strong - again depending on the magnitude of the earthquake.
Whenever there is going to be an eclipse, I Google to see the path of the eclipse across the globe. Then there's a spot where the eclipse is intense or lasts longer. Invariably around these areas - natural calamities can be expected.

2.
Many have reportedly lost their eyesight due to carelessness in not taking adequate precautions during solar eclipses. It is a superstition not to go out at all during such times. Maybe they want to prove that nothing will happen even if they watch the sun during solar eclipses without adequate/proper protection thinking it is all superstition. Ancient wisdom is full of logic. Maybe the down-the-line generations have put a fear in the minds of the people in the hope that they will obey these things without questioning. People need to know the logic behind to follow some precautions.

3.
Then Varahamihira mentions how excess of bamboo flowering in any year will be followed by famine in the region.
This phenomenon has proved to be true each and every time. The north east regional states in India have abundant growth of bamboo trees.
There have been famine during certain years. And if one looks closely there would have been an abundant flowering on bamboo trees in those years preceding the famine.
I wanted to find out a logical reason for this. I found that out!
Excess flowering would mean excess food for the rodents and pests. They will gorge on it and multiply their population further. When the flowering season would be over, they will turn to the grains or anything available in the fields. In no time the army of insects and rodents would decimate the yet-to-be harvested crop. What follows would certainly be famine in the region. These are modern times so mankind is clever enough to take care of the rodent and insect population during such times if they are wise to observe nature from close quarters.

These are such logical explanations and we say there is a lot of superstition going around. I would say, behind some key superstitions, lie lots of wisdom which mankind could use to great advantage.

May all the souls rest in peace which left their mortal frames in the recent tsunami.
May the Japanese rise like the Phoenix yet again. Easier said than done but Japan is a brave and disciplined nation. They have never been afraid of working hard to help their nation get on to its feet in record time. It may seem hopeless when we watch the re-runs of the devastations on TV channels but soon the nation will come to terms with this tragedy too. But God has been really unkind giving them so many upsets one after another in the past couple of days - earthquakes, tsunami flooding, volcanoes, nuclear explosions...

Mahalakshmi