The ‘World Turtle’ moves again: What Indian myths tell us about earthquakes

As a kid, the first time you heard of the earth cracking would probably have been around the time you heard the story of Sita being swallowed by the earth. Indian myths include other even more interesting and awe-striking tales that account for the occurrence of earthquakes. Brace yourself to hear them.

Myth and science have always overlapped. Had the flood not struck Uttarakhand, that day would have been the day for thousands to celebrate the descent of the goddess Ganga to the earth. Now there is the Nepal earthquake. There is always mystery behind a disaster, questions that you wish you had the answers to. Indian myths have some of those answers.

The Turtle Mytheme

In the great Indian astronomer Jnanaraja’s works, a weak vulture carries a snake, which in turn carries a tortoise, and this tortoise balances eight elephants that hold the earth. When any of these creatures gets tired and moves, the earth shakes violently. Other Vedic and Puranic texts also cite the same reasons with small differences as to the number or the order of these creatures. But the turtle always holds its position!

The Boar

Another story is that of Lord Vishnu’s incarnation as a boar (the Varaha avataar) and how he protects the earth from sinking by holding it on his tusks. This story clearly challenges the tortoise version.

Sheshnag and his Hundred Heads

There is yet another story that offers the possible causes of an earthquake. The hundred headed snake that holds Lord Vishnu, who in turn carries the world, can cause a violent shake by moving its head a bit too much.

The Dangerous Kali Dance

When Goddess Kali killed a terrible demon, she began to jump and dance with joy at her victory which brought about a massive earthquake. But before things became worse, her consort Lord Shiva came to the rescue of human beings. Even today, a calamity of any sort is alluded to as part of a divine dance.

The Flying Mountains

The Rig Veda explains that earthquakes happened when mountains flew over lands and then came to rest with a thud. Then Lord Indra was sent to cut their wings. But now Indra and the five elements are causing the same trouble due to their movements, and this results in earthquakes.

Earthquakes have thus been explained in the myths as a consequence of the wrath or heroism of the gods, and through the roles of various living creatures in the cosmic order. Though science can explain earthquakes in terms of symptoms and aftermath, the cause of earthquakes has not been pinpointed with any certainty. People also still need an answer to the  ‘why me?’ question. Where does that answer lie? In myth or science?