3. Who is ghost?
When I don't have physical body I'm ghost (Sanskrit: preta). I lose physical body at death.
More:
Garuda Purana (the most comprehensive source on afterlife, ghosts are described mainly in 2.7, 2.20-23),
Garuda Purana - part 2+3, chapters overview, whole ch. 2.20 - signs of ghosts's influence,
Ghosts Demystified
4. Who becomes ghost?
A person who underwent violent death (including suicide), lived wrongly (i.e. against dharma, thus creating a negative karma) or is attached to its family, living place etc. becomes ghost so after leaving the physical body he can't immediately go to higher dimensions (Sanskrit:
loka) to prepare for another incarnation on earth.
More:
Dying,
Garuda Purana
5. What ghosts do?
During the day they usually stay in their above-earth dimension (
antariksha, also called bhutaloka) and during the night they descend to earth (some are present on earth permanently) and appear in places where they died or to which they're emotionally attached. They are very active during sandhyas (conjunctions of day and night) as well as during midday and midnight. According to Garuda Purana 2.49.11 they can enter (so-called possession) non-living objects, insects, birds, animals, people and devas. In some cases within days after death they temporarily possess a wild animal, a bird or an insect (e.g. a butterfly) which appears to their family members as if to say goodbye. This however doesn't mean they have peacefully left, rather the opposite.
Often they attach themselves to the subtle body of an incarnated being and live off his energy (
prana) as parasites. They feed on impure substances (all kinds of garbage). They suffer because without physical body they can't fully satisfy their desires like hunger, thirst or sex desire. They wait until their karma-set time expires and they will be able to incarnate again.
More:
Garuda Purana
6. Why and which ghosts appear to us?
Most people will not see them in their whole life. It depends on the sensitivity of a given person, the ability to perceive subtle reality. Sometimes they appear to relatives to whom they come to say good-bye shortly after their death or they want to tell them something, mostly in a dream.
One example is the movie
Ghost (Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg) which as one of few describes the reality without speculations. It was allegedly inspired by Bhagavata Purana, one of the most recognized Indic sacred texts.
Some New Age movies may attract ghosts. Movie watching can be considered a form of meditation so concentrating on ghosts in a movie may catch their attention. Making of some movies about paranormal was beset with strange phenomena, accidents and untimely deaths of people involved (Poltergeist series, The Crow etc.).
Many ghosts who haunt various places to which they're emotionally attached don't even know they're dead. If they appear to someone they mostly want to draw attention to themselves and thus increase their chance that someone will help them from their situation. They can't get out of it any time soon on their own because to remain stuck in the form of ghost is a form of negative karma which often lasts pretty long time. In modern time when ceremonies for the dead are becoming less current, are replaced by spiritually inefficient secular ones or completely neglected, such ghosts are increasing in number.
We usually encounter these ghosts:
a. family members and friends
If they didn't die a violent death, they are only attached to their former dwelling and try to bring attention of their family members or friends to themselves to get help. Mostly they appear to the person from whom the help is the most probable. They appear repeatedly in an urgent sense. Since they don't have negative karma, they aren't easily repelled by prayers etc. The duty of living persons is to help them leave. Sometimes people know about the presence of their dead relatives and if they don't create problems to them, they get accustomed to them and consider them a sort of family protectors. Still their presence isn't proper and they should help them leave.
b. former apartment/house inhabitants or owners
They are attached to their former dwelling, dislike any intruders and want them to leave by making their presence known. But if they weren't too negative, countermeasures may not work well against them. If they died a violent death, they bring attention to themselves so that someone helps them. If the help doesn't come for a long time, they are frustrated and may turn revengeful and harmful. They have a negative karma and thus can be repelled by prayers etc., but that's not a solution for them. It's necessary to help them leave. For that it's helpful to know their name. Like the previous ones, their activity often increases around Christmas.
හෙලවෙන මනස ගැනද ඔය කියන්නේ ?
