Profile of a Natural Disaster in Ancient Sanskrit Literature

Abstract

Prabhāsa-ksetra-māhātmya, which forms a part of Skānda Purāņa, contains interesting information about ancient natural disasters affecting the Kutch-Mt.Abu region of India. In this paper, selected readings of the Sanskrit text are presented with brief translations. A comparison with similar information contained in Mahābhārata, Rāmāyaņa and Ŗgveda is also presented to interpret the Purāņic text in a possible historical perspective. It is inferred that the above texts taken together, have references to brightening of a star in the Pleiades cluster and also to ground impact due to falling objects, presumably fragments of an asteroid.

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