Disaster Prediction through Animal Behaviour in the Indian Knowledge System: Insights from Varāhamihira’s Bṛhatsaṃhitā

Disaster management is an important multidisciplinary field encompassing disaster prediction, preparedness, mitigation and risk reduction. Although modern scholarship has extensively examined its scientific, technological, social and economic dimensions, the contribution of ancient Indian knowledge traditions to disaster management remains comparatively underexplored. Ancient Indian literature, particularly Varāhamihira’s Bṛhatsaṃhitā, preserves valuable observations concerning natural calamities, environmental changes and unusual animal behavior associated with impending disasters. The present study critically examines the traditional concepts of disaster prediction reflected in the Bṛhatsaṃhitā with special reference to the behavioral patterns of animals and birds. It analyses the significance of the Sanskrit term Utpāta and investigates descriptions of unusual activities of crows, frogs, snakes, dogs, elephants, horses, cows, jackals, deer and other birds and wild animals as traditional indicators of famine, drought, excessive rainfall, fire, earthquakes and other calamities. The primary objective of this research is to investigate the concepts, principles, and practices of disaster management reflected in the ancient Indian sources. The study also seeks to compare these historical approaches with contemporary disaster management frameworks and critically evaluate their relevance in the light of modern scientific knowledge.