Matsyapurāṇa (Matsyapurana) describes natural calamities like earthquake, downpour, aridity and so on as utpāta (utpata). Following the dictionary meaning of utpāta, the subject may be elaborated in the following manner. Those incidents which do not have a common rationale or logically set rules of explanation or those incidents that very rarely take place were indicated as utpāta by the ancient sages. In the same manner, untoward occurrances are also labelled as adbhuta (‘wonderful’, ‘weird’).
[See Utpāta]