CHILE STRUCK BY 7.2 MAGNITUDE QUAKE

EARTHQUAKE HITS CHILE
NO REPORT OF DEATHS

Santiago, Chile (AP) -  A magnitude-7.2 earthquake struck central Chile on Sunday night, prompting authorities to urge evacuations for a long stretch of the coast as a precaution against a tsunami. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.  The quake struck 20 miles north-northwest of Talca, where residents said it lasted about a minute and was the strongest they had felt since the city was rocked hard by the huge quake that devastated central Chile two years ago. The U.S. Geological Survey initially said the quake had occurred offshore. People reacted with alarm in Constitution, whose coastal downtown was partly obliterated by the tsunami caused by the 2010 quake. Panic struck in other cities, with people running out of skyscrapers and many places were left partly or totally without electrical power. Phone service collapsed due to heavy traffic.

With the memory of the February 2010 quake still seared in their memories, many Chileans were visibly shaken up. Residents in Chile’s capital, Santiago, fled their homes as the tremor rattled television sets, kitchen cabinets and tables, and a mayor in the town of Parral in south-central Chile told local radio a 74-year-old woman died of a heart attack due to the quake. There were no reports of serious casualties. Residents living near shore were warned to head for higher ground, although the quake struck after nightfall, making evacuations more difficult. The Chilean navy’s hydrographic and oceanographic service said the quake wasn’t the type to provoke a tsunami, but the national emergency office maintained its evacuation order nevertheless. The USGS said the epicenter was 134 miles south of Santiago, Chile’s capital. It was 19 miles deep.

A magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck central Chile Sunday night, the strongest and longest that many people said they had felt since a huge quake devastated the area two years ago.  There were no reports of major damage or deaths due to quake-related accidents. It was the second earthquake in recent days registered in Chile, and the fourth in the last week along with the quakes which hit Oaxaca and Guerrero in Mexico and San Juan in Argentina. Our exploitation on Mother Earth has many consequences.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Bhumi is an expansion of the feminine divinity of the absolute truth. That is why they call her Mother Earth. She is the consort of Sri Varaha dev, the presiding deity of this entire earth planet is his consort. And just as we learnt that we approach Krishna through Sri Radha, on a practical level we have to approach Krishna through Radha in her expansions as well. In living in this world, we approach Krishna, on a spiritual level through Sri Radha, through our bhakti, but also by respect and living in harmony with Bhumi devi. Ravana wanted to exploit Sita. Bhumi is Sita. Human kind is plundering, exploiting, and raping our own mother, Mother Earth, who is providing all nourishments, all facilities for our lives. It is from a spiritual perspective, highly offensive. From a material perspective, it is suicidal.

Śrīla Radhanath Swami Mahārāja :
“The Real Significance of Bhumi Puja”
Lecture at Govardhan Farm, Wada - 2nd October 2009
http://www.radhanathmaharaj.net/node/80
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