Go to Vanipedia | Go to Vanisource | Go to Vanimedia


Vaniquotes - the compiled essence of Vedic knowledge


Ghostly life

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 4

Sometimes, because of too much sinful activity, the living entity does not get a material gross body, but hovers on the subtle platform. This is called ghostly life.
SB 4.29.6, Purport:

Because of his desire to enjoy the material world, the living entity is dressed with the material gross and subtle bodies. Thus he is given a chance to enjoy the senses. The senses are therefore the instruments for enjoying the material world; consequently the senses have been described as friends. Sometimes, because of too much sinful activity, the living entity does not get a material gross body, but hovers on the subtle platform. This is called ghostly life. Because of his not possessing a gross body, he creates a great deal of trouble in his subtle body. Thus the presence of a ghost is horrible for those who are living in the gross body

SB Canto 9

To save a diseased person from ghostly life, the funeral ceremony, or śrāddha ceremony, as prescribed in authorized śāstra, must be performed.
SB 9.10.29, Translation and Purport:

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Vibhīṣaṇa, the pious brother of Rāvaṇa and devotee of Lord Rāmacandra, received approval from Lord Rāmacandra, the King of Kosala. Then he performed the prescribed funeral ceremonies for his family members to save them from the path to hell.

After giving up the body, one is transferred to another body, but sometimes, if one is too sinful, he is checked from transmigrating to another body, and thus he becomes a ghost. To save a diseased person from ghostly life, the funeral ceremony, or śrāddha ceremony, as prescribed in authorized śāstra, must be performed. Rāvaṇa was killed by Lord Rāmacandra and was destined for hellish life, but by Lord Rāmacandra's advice, Vibhīṣaṇa, Rāvaṇa's brother, performed all the duties prescribed in relation to the dead. Thus Lord Rāmacandra was kind to Rāvaṇa even after Rāvaṇa's death.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Adi-lila

Ḍākinī and Śāṅkhinī are two companions of Lord Śiva and his wife who are supposed to be extremely inauspicious, having been born of ghostly life. It is believed that such inauspicious living creatures cannot go near a nima tree.
CC Adi 13.117, Translation and Purport:

She blessed the newborn child by placing fresh grass and paddy on His head and saying, "May You be blessed with a long duration of life." But being afraid of ghosts and witches, she gave the child the name Nimāi.

Ḍākinī and Śāṅkhinī are two companions of Lord Śiva and his wife who are supposed to be extremely inauspicious, having been born of ghostly life. It is believed that such inauspicious living creatures cannot go near a nima tree. At least medically it is accepted that nima wood is extremely antiseptic, and formerly it was customary to have a nima tree in front of one's house. On very large roads in India, especially in Uttar Pradesh, there are hundreds and thousands of nima trees. Nima wood is so antiseptic that the Āyurvedic science uses it to cure leprosy. Medical scientists have extracted the active principle of the nima tree, which is called margosic acid. Nima is used for many purposes, especially to brush the teeth. In Indian villages ninety percent of the people use nima twigs for this purpose. Because of all the antiseptic effects of the nima tree and because Lord Caitanya was born beneath a nima tree, Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī gave the Lord the name Nimāi.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Ghost, there are ghosts. Bhūta preta piśāca. Not only this life, demonic life, but after death also, there are ghostly lives. They do not get this gross body. They remain in the subtle body, mind, intelligence, and ego.
Lecture on BG 1.41-42 -- London, July 29, 1973:

After death according to Vedic regulations, piṇḍa-udaka, piṇḍa, offering Viṣṇu prasāda and water at least once in a year it is required by the family members. And according to Vedic culture, there is one month fixed up in a year when all people will offer piṇḍa and udaka to the forefathers. Tarpana, tarpana. Week or fortnight, for one fortnight. So the idea is that if the forefather in the family has not achieved a proper life... Sometimes due to sinful activities, too much attachment, a man becomes ghost. Ghost, there is ghosts. Bhūta preta piśāca. Not only this life, demonic life, but after death also, there are ghostly lives. They do not get this gross body. They remain in the subtle body, mind, intelligence, and ego. Due to their gross sinful life, they are punished by not getting a gross life. Because without getting a gross life, we cannot enjoy. With mind, I cannot enjoy rasagullā. I must have the tongue, I must have the hand, fingers, I can pick up, then... In the mind, I may think of eating or collecting rasagullā, but actually I do not get the taste. So gross body is required, because every living entity in this material world, they have come to enjoy. Kṛṣṇa bhuliyā jīva bhoga vāñchā kare pāśāte māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare. This is the beginning of our material life.

Taking for granted that some of my forefathers have become ghostly life and has not got the gross body, so by this piṇḍodaka... Piṇḍa means offering prasāda of Viṣṇu prasāda.
Lecture on BG 1.41-42 -- London, July 29, 1973:

So this gross body is required for enjoyment. Spirit, spiritual body is also very subtle, and the astral body, or subtle body, is also very subtle. The gross body required. So on account of one's severe sinful life, he does not get this gross body. Therefore the lupta-piṇḍodaka-kriyā (BG 1.41). Taking for granted that some of my forefathers have become ghostly life and has not got the gross body, so by this piṇḍodaka... Piṇḍa means offering prasāda of Viṣṇu prasāda. Still in India there is a place Gayā. There is Viṣṇu temple, and it is a custom all Hindus... Nowadays, they do not go. They do not believe even. They have given up everything. Due to unwanted children, they don't care for it, what is family, what is piṇḍa-udaka. Simply eat, drink, be merry, and enjoy, that's all.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Ghost means that those who are too much sinful, they do not get this gross body. They are punished with the position, to remain in the subtle body, at least for some time. That is ghostly life.
Lecture on SB 6.1.1 -- Melbourne, May 21, 1975:

Mind, intelligence, and ego—this is subtle body. Everyone has got his mind, everyone knows. But we cannot see. The intelligence... Everyone has got intelligence, but we cannot see. Similarly, subtle body is invisible. Ghost means when the living entity remains in the subtle body, do not get another gross body—they are very sinful—they create disturbance. But we cannot see. That is ghost. Ghost means that those who are too much sinful, they do not get this gross body. They are punished with the position, to remain in the subtle body, at least for some time. That is ghostly life. Therefore you will see, ghostly-haunted places, something is being done, but how it is being done, you do not see because you cannot see the subtle body. But you will see something is being carried in the air. It is not something being carried. It is being carried by the subtle body. But I have no eyes to see the subtle body. That is practical. I do not see your mind, but you have got your mind. You do not see my mind. You can see my mind by the action. That's all. The subtle body is there. Gross body, subtle body.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

Ghostly life means one who has misused this life, this body, and by his whims he has killed this body. He becomes ghost. That means he will have to suffer for so many day, then he'll get another material body.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 10, 1973:

Just like the philosophy voidism, or suicidism. I am feeling some pain in my body. So if I think that let me commit suicide, then the pain will go away automatically. That is void philosophy. The killing one-self, ātma hā. But because they have no understanding that killing this body does not mean killing yourself. That is their ignorance. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly said, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). So these rascal think if I suicide, if I commit suicide, and just have a knife on my throat, then all my pains and pleasures are finished. No, that is not... He will be put into more pains and pleasure. Sometimes we'll have to accept, why accept, it is certain, the ghostly body. Because Kṛṣṇa has given you, or māyā has given, māyā has given under the direction of Kṛṣṇa, a certain type of body for enjoying for a certain span of life, you cannot finish it. If you disregard it, then, if you commit suicide, the result will be that you will not be allowed to accept another material body. You will have to remain in that subtle body. That is ghost. Ghostly life means one who has misused this life, this body, and by his whims he has killed this body. He becomes ghost. That means he will have to suffer for so many day, then he'll get another material body.

Therefore there is śraddhā ceremony. The śraddhā ceremony means, supposing my father or my relative has not got, yet, again gross body, this śraddhā ceremony will help him to get another gross (body). Because without this gross body, the ghostly body is very troublesome, because he wants to enjoy something, but he has no instrument to enjoy. Therefore he creates, the ghost creates trouble. Sometimes captures some body to fulfill his desires, and the man becomes ghostly haunted. There are so many subtle sciences.

General Lectures

The subtle body is made of intelligence, mind and ego. So when a soul does not get a gross body, he has to work with the subtle body, that is ghostly life. So ghostly life is not false.
Lecture at Indo-American Society 'East and West' -- Calcutta, January 31, 1973:

...as soul without the body means ghost. Yes, that's a fact. Ghost means he has got no gross body, but he's working with the subtle body. We have got two kinds of bodies. The gross body is made of five elements, earth, water, air, fire, sky. And the subtle body is made of intelligence, mind and ego. So when a soul does not get a gross body, he has to work with the subtle body, that is ghostly life. So ghostly life is not false. Those who are too, too much sinful, sometimes they are condemned not to get a gross body. Just like if a man commits suicide. So nature gave him this gross body. He misused it. Therefore he's punished sometimes not to get again gross body. He becomes ghost.

Philosophy Discussions

A ghost means he has got subtle body, mental body, mind, intelligence and everything is there. Mind is there, intelligence, ego is there, but no gross body, so he cannot enjoy. That is ghostly life.
Philosophy Discussion on Arthur Schopenhauer:

Prabhupāda: Just like rascal, one who does not know, he commits suicide. He thinks that "If I commit suicide, then everything is finished." That is his ignorance. He is going to get another abominable body. Ghost. He becomes a ghost, so that he suffers more. A ghost means he has got subtle body, mental body, mind, intelligence and everything is there. Mind is there, intelligence, ego is there, but no gross body, so he cannot enjoy. That is ghostly life.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

When one is very sinful, he does not get the material body. He lives in the subtle body: mind, intelligence and ego. That is ghostly life.
Morning Walk -- April 12, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: No, no, you have not so many experiences. That does not mean these things does not exist. Your experience is not all in all. Don't think like that. So these are existing actually. That is the defect, that you do not accept the authorities. That is the defect. Here Vyāsadeva is describing, who is called Vedavyāsa, full of all knowledge, and Bhāgavata is a mature experience. We are hearing from him. Why you should not believe? I may not have experience. This ghost means the living entity is subtle life without any material body. That is ghost. When one is very sinful, he does not get the material body. He lives in the subtle body: mind, intelligence and ego. That is ghostly life. And they display. Because they have no body, one cannot see, but they display so many mischiefs. That is ghostly life. (break) Seeing or not seeing doesn't matter. Therefore it is enjoined in the Vedānta-sūtra, śāstra cakṣuṣā.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Woman is attractive for any man, even in ghostly life.
Room Coversation with Psychiatrist and Indian Boy -- May 12, 1975, Perth:

Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda, does the soul, the ghost, enter into the other man's body? The soul is occupying one body, and the ghost, as another soul, does he enter that body? There's two souls in the one body?

Prabhupāda: Not exactly enters, but he catches the body. But because the ghost has no gross body—he has got his subtle body, mind, intelligence, and ego—you cannot see him, how he has attacked that body. You cannot see the body of mind, intelligence. You know I have got my mind; I know you have got your mind. But you do not see my mind; I do not see your mind. So ghost is within the subtle body: mind, intelligence, and ego. So with that subtle body, he attacks the man, but you cannot see. He does not enter into him. The enter is the soul within the body. Therefore sometimes ghost is walking in the room. We cannot see. But he takes away something. We see that the thing is going away. (laughter) Because you cannot see his gross body. And because he hasn't got gross body, he can move very swiftly. Now he is here; he can go ten miles away immediately. But there is ghost. And they attack specially woman.

Paramahaṁsa: Is that because the women are weaker?

Prabhupāda: No. Woman is attractive for any man, even in ghostly life.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

If you remain in the subtle stage, that is ghostly life. That is ghost.
Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Rāmeśvara: This article will have a great effect on people. They will be convinced that after death of this body there is still life.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Na hanyate hanyamāne... (BG 2.20). Because the body is destroyed, that does not mean the soul is destroyed.

Rāmeśvara: But they are not giving the complete idea.

Prabhupāda: They have no...

Rāmeśvara: No. They are not explaining that from this subtle state you again enter another gross body.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Rāmeśvara: They are leaving with the idea that this is a new type of existence, and you remain on this subtle level.

Prabhupāda: No.

Rāmeśvara: And then you don't have to talk. You read minds.

Prabhupāda: If you remain in the subtle stage, that is ghostly life. That is ghost. And you make troublesome.

Page Title:Ghostly life
Compiler:Labangalatika
Created:05 of Oct, 2010
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=2, CC=1, OB=0, Lec=6, Con=3, Let=0
No. of Quotes:12