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.
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. It means that they attach themselves to the subtle body of an incarnated being and live off his energy (prana) as parasites. They also feed on impure substances (all kinds of garbage). They suffer because without physical body they can't 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.
ref: sri garuda purana
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Bhagavatam also describes reptilean civilizations among the lower planets, but with heavenly atmosphere due to high technology. They are known to be demons, and space-faring, long lived, no diseases, no death even... unless killed by Lord Vishnu's disc. Sounds like the current descriptions of Draconian repitleans overlords running the planet currently... ?
Check this;
Total Maya? probably...
Looked at the figure in the attachment, pretty horrible thing. Ghastly! ~(>,' )
My godbrother Padmapani was distributing books in wartime Lebanon, and he and another devotee took shelter in a bombed out building. There, they actually saw ghosts; one older one was instructing the new one how to enter Padma's and the other devotee's body ! The two brahmacaries had to chant and fight off the ghosts for several hours while avoiding the war around them.
If you have further descriptions, Bhakta Darshana Prabhu, thank you, Prabhu, it is fascinating to us mere mortals to read of things suggesting a real afterlife.
Until we are free of even the slightest propensity to satisfy temporary ego and bodily desires, then such situations as ghostly existence can arise. To be a ghost is no easy matter, it is frightful and hellish. We can avoid of course, generally, such pitfalls by leading sin-free simple lives of purity and service to Godhead and His devotees.
This description of such varieties of ghosts etc will be helpful to those seeking an understanding of such phenomenon. Certainly, the world is not merely a gross place of matter, there are many subtle layers that also interact with our own current earthly lives. There are many destinations possible for the soul upon leaving the body, so it is best to know what is the happiest direction for us to seek after; ie spiritual life free from temporary designations.
the 5th chapter of garuda purana has it all..i will share more articles on this prabhu.
Do shapeshifters, like from Krsna Book, still exist?;
Kinds of ghosts we usually encounter:
GHOST NUMBER 1
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