The story of five ghosts

(Garuda Purana 2.7.*)

Garuda said:

1.  I have heard the story relating to the rite of Vrsotsarga. I wish to be
    enlightened further upon this topic, for Your knowledge is very great.

The Lord said:

2.  Now I shall tell you a wonderful dialogue between Santapana and the ghosts
    on this very point.
3.  There was a brahmana Santapana by name whose sins had been destroyed by
    penance. Knowing the futility of the world he left home and went to the
    forest.
4.  Whenever Vaikhanasas, sages and Vratas saw him, they bowed to him with
    respect. Once he went on a pilgrimage.
5.  Though he controlled the outer senses and acted in the prescribed way, he
    was still dragged by the organs and he slipped in his path.
6-7. Once in the morn while he was taking bath, he opened his eyes and looked
    around. He saw a forest full of shrubs, creepers, trees, barks, branches
    etc.
8-9. He saw talas, tamalas, priyalas, panasas, suparni, salas, sakhotas,
    syandanas, tindukas, sarjas, arjunas, amras, slesmatakas, bibhitakas,
    picumardas, cincimas, karkandhus and karamkaras.
10. All these and other trees were there among which the way could not be seen
    even by the birds, not to say of men.
11-12. There is that fierce forest, full of lions, tigers, hyenas, wild oxen,
    bears, buffaloes, elephants, deer, cobras, monkeys and other animals and
    also demons and goblins.
13. Santapana was terrified in his heart and could not decide where to go. Then
    thinking 'Come what may', he went further.
14. Hearing the singing of crickets and the hooting of owls, he moved forward
    about five steps.
15. There he saw a corpse tied to a banana tree and five fierce ghosts eating
    the same.
16-17. They were rejoicing over their feast by relishing the head bones, stomach
    attached to the back, fallen bones of the body, marrow, brain etc.
18. Seeing the ghosts who were loudly cracking the bones with their fierce jaws,
    he was awe-struck in his heart and stopped at once.
19. When they saw the brahmana in that lonely forest, they ran towards him
    saying 'I first, I first.'
20. Two of them caught hold of his two arms, two caught hold of his legs
    and the fifth one caught hold of his head.
21. Speaking loudly in their own language, 'I shall eat first, I shall eat
    first', they got busy in dragging him.
22. Then, all of sudden, they went up in the sky. From there they looked down
    how much flesh was left in the corpse.
23. They saw the corpse bitten by their jaws. Then they got down and caught hold
    of the corpse by the legs.
24-26. Thus taking hold of the body cut by themselves, they went up again in
    the sky. Then seeing himself being borne in the heaven, the brahmana praised
    the Lord in his mind. 'I bow down to Lord Visnu, the holder of discus, who
    is supreme consciousness, who kept away the crocodile by throwing his discus
    and released the elephant from the noose of crocodile. May He release me
    from the noose of my actions.
27. When the kings were captured by Magadha Bhima, the Lord got them released
    so that they might visit Bhargas's sacrifice. May He release me from the
    noose of my activities.'
28. He praised Me in his mind and being praised I got up all of a sudden
    and I went to the place where he was being carried by the ghosts.
29. Seeing him thus carried away by the ghosts I was surprised and without
    speaking anything I followed them a while.
30. Simply by the dint of My presence, O bird, that brahmana felt the pleasure
    of riding a palanquin.
31. Then in the way, I saw Manibhadra going to Meru and winking at him I took
    the king of Yaksas by My side.
32. I said to the lord of Yaksas to be active and destroy the ghosts and take
    away the corpse.
33. Being instructed thus he took the form of a ghost terrific even to those
    ghosts.
34. He stretched his arms besmeared with blood and appeared before the ghosts
    challenging them.
35. He struck two with his arms, two with his legs and one with his head
    and beat the ghosts with severe blows.
36. They held that corpse bound by hand and legs and began to fight.
37. They attacked the Yaksa lord with nails, feet and jaws.
38. But avoiding their attacks, the Yaksa lord snatched the corpse, as death
    takes away the breath.
39. When the corpse was snatched by Yaksa they ran towards him.
40. As soon as they reached the Yaksa moving in air, the Yaksa vanished
    immediately. In utter dejection they went to the brahmana.
41. As they were going to kill that brahmana on the mountain they remembered
    their previous birth. It happened by the glory of My position and by
    the nobility of the brahmana.
42. Then they encircled the brahmana and spoke to him reverentially.
43. 'Please excuse us today.' They spoke like the echo of the mountain
    or the turmoil of the stormy sea.
44. Hearing their words he asked: 'Who are you? Is it simply an illusion,
    a dream, or a fancy?'

The chief ghost said:

45. 'Hear, O brahmana, we shall tell you what you have asked us, O mahayogin.
    We are absolved of our sins by seeing you. My name is Paryusita. He is
    Sucimukha.
46. The third one is Sighra and the fourth one is Rodha and the fifth one is
    Lekhaka.'

The brahmana said:

47-48. 'Why are these meaningless names borne out by you? Can they be derived
    from actions performed by you? O ghosts, now tell us the meaning of these
    names.'

The Lord said:

49. Being thus addressed by the brahmana, they replied separately.

Paryusita said:

50. 'Once, in a month when Sraddha is performed for the manes, I invited
    a brahmana to my house. He arrived after I had eaten the part of food out
    of hunger.
51-52. Then I gave stale food to that brahmana when he came. On account of that
    sin, when I died I became a ghost and got the name Paryusita since I had
    given him the stale food.'

Sucimukha said:

53. 'Once an aged woman of the brahmana caste went to the holy place
    Bhadravrata.
54-56. The old woman lived with her son aged five years. I being a ksatriya
    pretender stopped her in the wilderness, became a wayside robber and took
    her viaticum with clothes along with the dress of her son. I wrapped them
    around my head and wanted to leave.
57. I saw the little boy drinking water from a jar. In that wilderness, only
    that much water was there. I frightened the boy from drinking water
    and being thirsty myself began to drink from the jar.
58. The boy died of thirst and the mother who was struck with grief died too,
    by throwing herself into a dry well.
59. O brahmana, by that sin I became a ghost with mouth as small as the hole
    of a needle and body as huge as a mountain.
60. Although I get food I cannot eat. Although I burn with hunger my mouth is
    contracted.
61. Since in my mouth I have a hole equal to that of a needle I am known as
    Sucimukha.'

Sighra said:

62. 'Formerly I was a rich vaisya and went to a distant country for business.
63. I was accompanied by a friend who was a partner in business. He was rich
    but greedy. Then due to bad luck we fared badly in business to the extent
    that even our capital was lost.
64. Then we started from there, travelling in a boat. Just as the sun reddened,
    we began to cross the river.
65. My friend was tired due to labour, slept in my lap. Then a cruel thought
    entered into my mind.
66. I threw my friend sleeping in my lap into the river. Nobody in the boat knew
    anything about my act.
67. I got hold of his belongings, jewels, rubies, gold, etc. and returned home.
68. I kept that all in my house and told his wife: 'My brother has been taken
    away by robbers in the way and robbed of his wealth.
69-71. I ran away and escaped. Do not weep.' She was overwhelmed with grief
    and burnt herself into the fire. Then seeing my path was without obstruction
    I returned home gladly. I enjoyed my friend's wealth to my heart's content.
    Since throwing my friend into the river I returned home quickly, I am called
    Sighraga.'

Rodhaka said:

72-73. 'O brahmana, formerly I was a sudra. By the king's favour I owned
    a hundred villages. I had old parents and young brother.
74. Very soon my brother was estranged from me by a greedy person. I stopped
    giving him food and clothes. He suffered too much at my hands.
75-79. My parents gave him something secretly. Whatever they gave him I learned
    from my close confidants. Then I bound my parents with iron chain in
    a deserted temple. Being miserable they ended their life by drinking poison.
    The boy who was left by all alone wandered here and there and expired
    ultimately. By this sin, O brahmana, I have become ghost. Since I chained
    my parents I was called Rodhaka.'

Lekhaka said:

80. 'Formerly I was a brahmana in Avanti. I was authorized to worship
    the deities of Bhadra king. There were many images with different names.
81. On their bodies they wore gold and jewels. While worshipping them an evil
    thought entered me.
82. Piercing their bodies with an iron rod I took out jewels from their eyes.
83. When the king saw the images in that state and their eyes without jewels,
    he became inflamed like fire.
84. Then he vowed, O brahmana, and said: 'Whosoever has stolen gold and jewels
    from these images, if known, will be killed.'
85-86. Knowing all that, one night, with a sword in hand, I entered the king's
    palace and struck him dead. I then took jewels and gold and went away at
    midnight.
87-88. Then in the deep forest, a tiger put on me his nails. Since I had incised
    the images with iron rod I was known as Lekhaka.'

The brahmana said:

89. 'You have told us facts about your names; now let us know about your way of
    life as ghosts as well as your food.'

The ghosts said:

90-91. 'We stay where people do not follow the Vedas, where there is no feeling
    of shame for falsehood, no faith in religion, no sense of discipline, no
    inclination for forgiveness, no patience and no knowledge.
92-95. We trouble the person who does not perform Sraddha or Tarpana.
    We eat his flesh and suck his blood. Now hear about our food which is most
    despicable in the world. Something of this you have already seen. We shall
    now tell you something unknown to you. Vomiting, waste, cough, urine and
    tears - these we eat and drink. Do not ask us further, O brahmana, we are
    ashamed to tell you about our food. We are ignorant, in dark, fools and
    puzzled. Suddenly have we remembered about our previous births.
96. We are neither humble, nor wild and we know nothing.'

The Lord said:

97. When the ghosts were speaking thus and the brahmana was hearing,
98-99. I showed My form, O Tarkshya. When that brahmana saw before him the
    Purusa of his heart, he praised Me with hymns and fell prostrate before Me.
    Those ghosts too trembled with eyes wide open in surprise.
100. Their voice muttered with affection, still they could not speak. 'Bow to
    You who release the cruel from rajas and the stupid from tamas.' This being
    uttered by the brahmana that mountain was adorned with six shining aerial
    cars moving at My will and attended by celestial beings.
101. By that vimana the brahmana went to My abode along with the five ghosts.
    The ghosts went to heaven by virtue of their association with the brahmana.
102. Living in heaven along with the ghosts that brahmana Santapana became My
    famous gana called Visvaksena. Thus I have told you everything, O bird.
    Whoever tells or hears this narrative, O bird, does not become a ghost.


On attaining ghosthood

(Garuda Purana 2.22.*)


Garuda said:

1-2. How do these ghosts come into being? How are they redeemed from
     pretahood? What are their features? What is their diet, o Lord? How are
     the ghosts propitiated? O Lord of deities, where do they stay? Please
     favour me, o Lord, with an answer to these queries.

The Lord said:

3.   It is the men of sinful actions actuated by their previous misdeeds who
     become ghosts after death. Please listen to me, I shall tell you in detail.
4-5. He who desecrates well, tanks, lakes, parks, temples, water sheds, groves
     of trees, almshouses etc. and misdirects anyone in religious rites for
     monetary gain is a sinner. After death he becomes a ghost and remains as
     such till the final deluge.
6.   Out of greed if people upset the boundaries of villages and destroy pasture
     lands, tanks, parks, underground drainage, etc. they become ghosts.
7.   Sinful persons meet with death at the hands of candalas, infuriated
     brahmins, serpents, animals with curved teeth or in watery graves or
     struck by lightning.
8-13. Those who meet with foul death such as committing suicide by hanging
     from a tree, by poison or weapon, those who die of cholera, those who are
     burnt to death alive, those who die of foul and loathsome diseases or at
     the hands of robbers, those who are not cremated duly after death, those
     who do not follow sacred rites and conduct, those who do not perform
     Vrsotsarga and monthly pinda rites, those who allow sudras to bring
     sacrificial grass, twigs and other articles of homa, those who fall from
     mountains and die, those who die when walls collapse, those who are defiled
     by women in their menses, those who die in the firmament and those who are
     forgetful of Visnu, those who continue to associate with persons defiled
     due to births or death, those who die of dog-bitting or meet with death in
     a foul manner, become ghosts and roam over the earth.
14.  One who discards one's mother, sister, wife, daughter or daughter-in-law
     without seeing any fault in them, obtains ghosthood surely.
15.  One who deceives his own brother, kills a brahmana or a cow, drinks liquor,
     defiles the preceptor's bed, steals gold and silk garment, becomes ghosts,
     o bird.
16.  One who usurps a deposit, deceives a friend, enjoys other man's wife, kills
     other's faith, is cruel, definitely becomes a ghost.
17.  One who discards the family customs, takes to other customs, is without
     knowledge and good character, definitely becomes a ghost.
18.  To illustrate this there is an anecdote narrated by Bhisma to Yudhisthira.
     O you of good rites, I shall narrate the same to you, on hearing which you
     may feel pleasure.

Yudhisthira said:

19. O grandfather, please tell me what those evil deeds are as a result of
    which one becomes a ghost and what are the means of redemption from the
    same on hearing which I shall not be deluded thus further.

Bhisma said:

20. I shall tell you entirely what those causes are whereby one turns a ghost
    and how he is set free after falling into dismal hell impassable even to
    gods.
21. I shall tell all those things on hearing which a person is set free from
    ghosthood.
22. O dear, there was a brahmin of rigorous sacred rites named Santaptaka.
    For practising penance, he went to a forest.
23. He was a man of kind, compassionate nature. He used to perform homas and
    yogic practices as well as great sacrifices. He used to spent time usefully
    engaged.
24. He strictly followed the instructions of his preceptor. He was soft-hearted,
    truthful and pure. He was afraid of the other world.
25. He strictly followed the instruction of his preceptor. He was delighted
    in serving guests. He observed yogic practices. He was free from dvandvas
    (like happiness and misery, heat and cold and such opposite pairs.)
26. Practising yoga incessantly to conquer mundane existence, he subjugated
    the sense organs. Following the path of good conduct he eagerly desired
    salvation.
27. He spent years in the secluded forest. Then the idea of visiting holy
    centres entered his mind.
28. He thought within himself "I shall keep immersed my body in the waters
    of a holy river till I die." Accordingly he hastened to a holy centre where
    he took bath at sunrise. He performed the rites of japa and namaskara
    (obeisance) and started on journey.
29.-31. One day, this brahmin of great penance lost his way and reached a forest
    full of thorny shrubs, secluded and devoid of big trees. While he was
    hurrying up, he saw five terrible ghosts.
    On seeing these five awful ghosts of deformed features he was terrified and
    he closed his eyes in sheer fright. Then, he cast off his fear and became
    bold enough to ask in sweet words "O sires, how is it that you are so
    deformed?"
32. What was the sin committed by you? Wherefore have you attained this
    deformity? Where are you proceeding in company?

The lord of the ghosts said:

33. O excellent brahmin, our ghosthood is the outcome of our own misdeeds. We
    had been engaged in harassing others. Hence, we became victims of foul
    death.
34. In this state of our ghosthood we are oppressed with hunger and thirst. We
    are unable to speak. We have lost our mental equilibrium. We have lost
    consciousness too.
35. We are Pisacas born of our own misdeeds. We do not know the difference
    between one quarter and another. We are extremely distressed. We do not know
    where to go.
36. We have neither fathers nor mothers. This ghosthood is due to our own
    misdeeds. We are extremely dejected and sorrowful because the attack is all
    too sudden.
37. O brahmin, we are delighted on seeing you. We feel refreshed. Please wait
    a little. I shall narrate everything from the very beginning.
38. My name is Paryusita. This ghost is known as Sucimukha. The other one is
    Sighraga and the others are Rohaka and Lekhaka. These are our names and we
    are ghosts.

The brahmin said:

39. How can ghosts, the outcome of evil actions, have names? You may have some
    purpose in view in having these names. Please tell me.

The pretaraja (king of ghosts) said:

40. O excellent brahmin, while I myself took all sweet things I left stale
    things for brahmins to eat.
41. While I was on earth as a man, I showed the hungry brahmins the exit door.
    Hence, my name is Paryusita.
42. O excellent brahmin, whenever a brahmin begged him for food, out of hunger,
    this ghost used to run away, hence his name is Sighraga.
43. This other one irritated many brahmins with sharp tongue when they came to
    him for food, hence he is called Sucimukha.
44. In his life on earth, this ghost ate sumptuously in isolation the
    foodstuffs offered to gods and manes in the absence of brahmins. Hence, he
    is known as Rohaka.
45. Whenever a needy person requested him for something, this ghost pretended
    to be silent and went on scratching on the ground. As a result of this he
    is known as Lekhaka.
46.-47. Thus acquiring our ghosthood and names from our misdeeds we have got
    ourselves deformed too.
    This Lekhaka is goat-mouthed; Rohaka is mountain-faced; Sighraga is cow-
    faced; Sucimukha is needle-mouthed; I, Paryusita, am crane-necked.
48-49. Taking this illusory form, we wander over this wide region. We suffer
    from terrible distress. O brahmin, you can judge from our deformed faces
    with protruding lips and twisted shape. Our teeth are long, our bodies huge,
    our faces crooked, due to our misdeeds. Thus I have told you how we turned
    ghosts.
50. We have become somewhat wise on seeing you. If you wish to hear more, you
    can ask us further whatever you like to know.

The brahmin said:

51. The creatures on this earth subsist on food. I wish to know precisely
    what you all eat for your subsistence.

The ghost said:

52. If you are inclined to hear what we eat, o noble sir, listen attentively.

The brahmin said:

53. O king of ghosts, please tell me what you eat.
    Thus requested the ghosts began to explain their diet respectively.

The ghosts said:

54. O brahmin, our diet is extremely loathsome, despised by all living beings.
    On hearing it from us you are sure to hate us. It is so despicable.
55. Mucous secretions, faeces and urine together with other exudations, filth
    as well as leavings of food constitute our diet.
56. We eat, drink and revel in the house where people do not pay attention to
    cleanliness and where they scatter litter carelessly. We haunt unclean
    beings as well.
57. We reside and enjoy in the house where there is no purity, where people
    do not observe truthfulness and restraint and where outcastes, robbers,
    etc. join together and take meals.
58. We take delight in haunting the house where no mantras are recited, where
    no oblation is offered, where no homa is performed and where people do not
    read the Vedas regularly nor perform religious rites.
59. We hover round the house where gods are not honoured, where the householder
    is a vile wretch without shame and decency and where the poor husband is
    controlled by his sturdy wife.
60. We enjoy gaiety in the house where covetousness, fury, somnolence, sorrow,
    fear, haughtiness, lethargy, quarrels and deception reign supreme.
61. We lick up the urine mixed with semen from the vaginal passage of the widow
    having illicit intercourse with her paramour.
62. Dear friend, I am ashamed to tell you about the food we take. O pious
    brahmin, we lick up the menstrual blood from the generative organ of
    a woman.
63. O noble brahmin, preferring penance to riches and engaged in performing
    the sacred rites, I ask you out of frustration. Please tell me the means of
    warding off ghosthood. It is better to die a hundred times than turn
    a ghost.

The brahmin said:

64. A person who is assiduously engaged in fasts such as Krcchra and Candrayana
    [Ms 11.211-217] is never born as a ghost.
65. He who observes fast, keeps awake at night and is purified by meritorious
    deeds is never born as a ghost.
66. He who performs Asvamedha and other sacrifices, makes liberal gifts
    and builds monasteries, parks, drinking water-sheds and cowpens is never
    born as a ghost.
67. He who helps brahmins to give their virgin daughters in marriage, according
    to his capacity, he who enables students to study, and he who accords
    shelter and refuge to the needy is never born as a ghost.
68. If man takes food offered by a fallen man and dies with that food
    undigested in his stomach, he is supposed to have courted a foul death
    and hence, he becomes a ghost.
69. If a priest officiates at the sacrifice of an unworthy person and neglects
    that of worthy sacrificer, if a man lives in the company of despicable
    people he becomes a ghost.
70. He who associates with drunkards or indulges in intercourse with a woman
    addicted to wine or eats meat unconsciously becomes a ghost.
71. He who misappropriates a brahmin's wealth, or he property of a temple or
    that of his preceptor and he who takes money from his son-in-law before
    giving his daughter in marriage becomes a ghost.
72. He who forsakes his innocent and guiltless mother, sister, wife, daughter
    or daughter-in-law becomes a ghost.
73. All these are sure to be born as ghosts - a man misappropriating a trust
    property, a man treacherous to his friend, a man fond of another man's
    wife, a faithless man and a deceptive wretch.
74. A man hating his brother, a murderer of a brahmin, a slayer of the cow,
    a wine addict, a defiler of the preceptor's bed, one who casts off
    customary rites, or one who is fond of telling lies, a stealer of gold
    or one who takes possession of plots of land illegally - all these are born
    as ghosts.

Bhisma said:

75. When the brahmin spoke thus, the beating of drums was heard in the sky.
    The gods showered flowers over the brahmin.
76. Five celestial chariots arrived there and took the ghosts away, the
    ghosts having taken leave of the saintly brahmin.
77. The ghosts were relieved of their sins after the pious speech of that
    brahmin. They all achieved the highest region (Vaikuntha).
78. On hearing this anecdote, the lord of birds quaked like the asvattha tree.
    He asked the Lord again, for the benefit of human beings.


On ghosthood

(Garuda Purana 2.23.*)


Garuda said:

1.  What do the ghosts do in their ghosthood? When do they speak sometime?
    Please tell me, o Lord of gods!

The Lord said:

2.  I shall tell you about their form, signs and dreams. Being oppressed by
    hunger and thirst they enter their former home.
3.  Though possessed of airy forms, they give signs to their sleeping
    descendants, o bird.
4.  They visit the place where their sons, wives and relatives sleep.
5.  If a person dreams of a horse, an elephant, a bull, or a man with deformed
    face, if a person awakened from sleep sees himself in the opposite side of
    the bed, this is all due to the workings of a ghost.
6.  If a man is fastened with chains in dream, if his dead ancestors demand
    food in dream,
7.  If one snatches the food from him while he is eating in dream, if thirsty,
    one drinks water,
8.  If in dream one rides a bull or moves with bulls or if one springs up in
    the sky or goes to a holy place hungry,
9.-10. If one speaks aloud among cows, bulls, brahmanas, horses, elephants,
    deities, ghosts and demons - this is due to the working of a ghosts.
    Many are the signs of ghosts in dream, o bird. It is due to a ghost if one
    sees his wife, relative, son or husband as dead.
11. He who begs in dream oppressed by hunger or thirst should give pindas to
    the manes to ward off coming distress.
12. If one sees in dream his son, cattle, father, brother, wife, getting out of
    house, it is due to the working of a ghost.
13. These signs, o bird, call for atonement. One should bathe at home or at
    a holy place, give water oblation to a deity at the root of a fig tree.
14. Or give black corn, perform worship, offer gifts to a Vedic scholar
    and do homa as far as his means can allow.
15. If, in faith, one reads or hears this discourse, the ghosts disappear
    immediately from his vicinity.