An Integrated Theory of the Earth - A Comparative Study of Eastern and Western Theories

As a student of the Earth Sciences for over three decades, the author having gone through considerable literature in Earth Science both in English and Sanskrit languages has realised that there is scope for develop-ment of a sound Theory of the Earth by integrating suitably the materials of many theories of the earth existing in the literatures of the orient and the occident, coupled with modern observations in celestial dynamics. The need for a sound Theory of the Earth cannot be over emphasised as for its application in predicting from daily weather to occurrences of earthquakes and volcanoes. The inadequacy of such a theory is the cause of our present erroneous observations and the need for improving over the earlier theories is very much felt. Towards this end the author has made attempt to gather information on various theories of the earth developed in the western schools of thought and also in the eastern schools of thought, especially from the Vedic school. The students of the earth from Vedic times to the times of Brihat Samhita of Varaha-mihira (5th Century A.D.), have made many observations in developing a theory of the earth based on which the various local almanacs in India predict the rains, etc., for each year in advance, to this day. The earth science disciplines of modern science as developed in the western schools have systematised observations but appear to lack co-ordination amongst meteorology, seismology, astronomy, geology, econo-mics, politics and sociology as a result the benefit of advancement due to research in one field is not avail-able for the sister disciplines. The untold sufferings of humanity due to natural calamities can be reasonably overcome if only a co-ordinated interpretation is made of the disciplines stated above by giving notice sufficiently early as to the occurrence of volcanoes, earthquakes, storms, floods, etc.

In the following pages an attempt is made to bring out the information with regard to a theory of the Earth and an Integrated Theory is put forth based on data from celestial dynamics. Based on this theory an attempt is being made to forecast deep focus earth-quakes well in time to be confirmed by the observations -however emperical-made by the author of Brihat Samhita in the Chapter 'Bhukampalakshana'.

It has been a pleasure to trace the development of the ideas with regard to a Theory of the Earth both in the West and in the East. The developments in modern science of Geology can only be described as nothing less than spectacular. Even then there is a long way yet to the time when a reliable Theory of the Earth can be instituted.

The section on 'Varahamihira's contribution to the Vedic Theory of the Earth' was presented by the author to the Third International Sanskrit Conference held in Paris in 1977.