History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c89.162

v7.c89.162

A few words must be said about some striking ones out of these. First comes earthquake. The Br. S. (32. 1-2) puts forth four theories of his predecessors about the cause of an earthquake viz. it was caused by huge animals dwelling inside the seas (view of Kāśyapa) or according to others (Garga) it was caused by the heavy breaths emitted by the elephants of the quarters when tired by carrying the weight of the earth; others (like Vasiṣṭha) said that earthquake noise is caused by the winds striking against each other (in the sky) and falling on the earth; other ācāryas (like Vṛddhagarga) held that an earthquake was caused by *adṛṣṭa* (i. e. by the sins of the people on the earth¹²²⁷). In verses 3-7 of Br. S. (chap. 32) Varāha narrates the myth that mountains had in the dim past wings and the earth being much shaken by their movements approached Pitāmaha (Brahmā) and Brahmā seeing her sad plight asked Indra to discharge his thunderbolt for clipping the wings of mountains and for removing the anger (or sorrow) of the earth; Indra did so, but he told the earth that Vāyu, Agni, Indra (himself) and Varuna would (each) at different parts of the day and night make the earth shake in order to indicate (to mortals) the fruits of their good and bad deeds. In Br. S 32 8-22 Varāha describes the spheres and premonitory signs of Vāyu, Agni, Indra and Varuna with the nakṣatras and the countries they affect The Adbhutasāgara (pp 383-409) quotes most of the verses of Varāha and prescribes śāntis for each of the four deities that are deemed to be connected with earthquakes. The Adbhutasāgara refers to earthquakes that happened when angry Arjuna got no sleep after he made a vow that he would kill Jayadratha before the next day's sunset (Dronaparva 77 4) and when Duryodhana challenged Bhīma for a mace fight (Śalyaparva 56 10 and 58 49 )