JAPANESE TSUNAMI DEATH TOLL REACHES THOUSANDS

MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE BRINGS 
A DESTRUCTIVE TSUNAMI IN JAPAN

TOKYO - A devastating tsunami triggered by the biggest earthquake on record in Japan looked set to kill at least 1,000 people along the northeastern coast on Friday after a wall of water swept away everything in its path.   Officials warned there could be a small radiation leak from a nuclear reactor whose cooling system was knocked by the earthquake, but thousands of residents in the area had been moved out of harm’s way.  Pressure building in the plant was set to be released soon, a move that could result in a radiation leak, officials said.  Some 3,000 people who live within a 3 kilometer radius of the plant had been evacuated, Kyodo news agency said.  The unfolding disaster in the wake of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and 10-meter (33-feet) high tsunami prompted offers of help from dozens of countries.

The terrible earthquake struck at 2:46 p.m. local time (12:46 a.m. EST), near Honshu, Japan, an island that is home to about 100 million people. The temblor was the fifth in the past two days to hit the region, and major aftershocks can be expected for months, possibly even a year.  Stunning TV footage showed a muddy torrent of water carrying cars and wrecked homes at high speed across farmland near the coastal city of Sendai, home to one million people and which lies 300 km (180 miles) northeast of Tokyo.  Ships had been flung onto a harbour wharf, where they lay helplessly on their side.  Boats, cars and trucks were tossed around like toys in the water after a small tsunami hit the town of Kamaichi in northern Japan.

A powerful 8.9 earthquake shook Japan at 2:46 pm on Friday, the most powerful quake since 140 years ago, sparked at least 80 fires in cities and towns along the coast.  The quake is already responsible for many hundreds of deaths and a tsunami.  Domestic media said the death toll in Japan was expected to exceed 1,000, most of whom appeared to have drowned.  An advanced person in spiritual consciousness becomes very sympathetic toward all living entities suffering in the material world.  That person knows that there is no possibility of being liberated from suffering without taking shelter at Krishna's lotus feet.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Everyone is thinking that he is very happy, although he is in a horrible and fearsome condition.  However, one who is actually intelligent can understand that he is not actually happy, that he is suffering. ... The entire human civilization is falling into the illusory fire of maya. ... Yet Krishna and His devotees are so kind and compassionate that they are unhappy to see all the misery of this material world. Krishna is the father of all living entities, and He is very unhappy to see His sons suffer. Krishna therefore comes and canvasses:  “Why are you captivated by this false, so-called happiness? Give up all of this and surrender to Me. Come to Me, and I will relieve you. You will then live happily, eternally and blissfully. You will not have any want, nor will you be troubled by anything.”

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
“Teachings of Lord Kapila, the Son of Devahuti”
Chapter 17: “Taking Shelter of Krishna, the Supreme Controller” - Verse 41.