Ghosts
Q: What do the Vedas say about ghosts?
A: Garuda Purana, which has a lot of information on topics like death, life after death and funeral ceremonies related to it etc., says that ghosts are very sinful people. One becomes a ghost usually upon dying a violent death, e.g. by falling from great heights, by being burnt, by being beaten to death, by accident, by drowning, by poison, or by committing suicide. To become a ghost is the result of a sinful life, i.e. having broken the laws of nature without caring for the plights of other living beings.
Ghostly existence - existing in an subtle aerial body - is a very frustrating experience, as you are still afflicted by the urges of gross physical life like hunger, thirst, envy, greed, sex etc., but you have no means of satisfying or getting rid of these urges. Therefore they always try to make trouble for others who have gross bodies, especially the ones they were attached to in their previous life.
The only way to avoid ghosts is to perform pious activities, or even better to become reinstated in spiritual life. Especially Lord Nrsimhadeva protects us from all kinds of ghosts and subtle beings. There is a specific Nrsimha mantra which is guaranteed to drive away all ghosts:
om hrim kshraum ugra viram mahavishnum jvalantam sarvato mukham nrsimham bishanam bhadram mrityum mrityu namamy aham
You can also free a ghost from his ghostly existence by making an offering of food to Visnu on his behalf and feeding this prasadam to a bona fide brahmana. Your local temple could help you in this regard.
A: Garuda Purana, which has a lot of information on topics like death, life after death and funeral ceremonies related to it etc., says that ghosts are very sinful people. One becomes a ghost usually upon dying a violent death, e.g. by falling from great heights, by being burnt, by being beaten to death, by accident, by drowning, by poison, or by committing suicide. To become a ghost is the result of a sinful life, i.e. having broken the laws of nature without caring for the plights of other living beings.
Ghostly existence - existing in an subtle aerial body - is a very frustrating experience, as you are still afflicted by the urges of gross physical life like hunger, thirst, envy, greed, sex etc., but you have no means of satisfying or getting rid of these urges. Therefore they always try to make trouble for others who have gross bodies, especially the ones they were attached to in their previous life.
The only way to avoid ghosts is to perform pious activities, or even better to become reinstated in spiritual life. Especially Lord Nrsimhadeva protects us from all kinds of ghosts and subtle beings. There is a specific Nrsimha mantra which is guaranteed to drive away all ghosts:
om hrim kshraum ugra viram mahavishnum jvalantam sarvato mukham nrsimham bishanam bhadram mrityum mrityu namamy aham
You can also free a ghost from his ghostly existence by making an offering of food to Visnu on his behalf and feeding this prasadam to a bona fide brahmana. Your local temple could help you in this regard.
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