THE

शब्द

GHOSTS कि कुनै पनि पुरुष छैन

(जारी)

Ghosts Act Instinctively, Not Intelligently

WHEN a man has confidence in his good luck he acts spontaneously, without hesitation. There is in him a feeling of intimacy with the thing he is going to do, and a buoyancy is with him that carries him along to his success. If there are obstacles in any work, or any deal or undertaking with another person or persons, the ghost acts on these others and brings them around to where they act as will suit the end the ghost is prompting its charge to see and reach for.

A luck ghost is not an intelligence; no ghost is. All the luck ghost can do is to act on the senses of his charge and sharpen them, and through the senses draw the mind of the person to the particular condition or opportunity. The mind being turned to opportunity, then with the impulse and buoyancy and the confidence given by the presence of the ghost, the person does confidently what he is made to feel he should do, and refuses to do what he is made to feel is unfavorable to him. These are the general methods followed.

In certain cases the ghost does some particular thing which experience has shown the person to be a signal for him to act or to let the thing alone or to let go of it. This signal may be such as a certain warm and cheerful feeling in the heart or breath, or the impression of a certain color will prevail, or a figure will be seen or thought of, or there will be a certain sweetness or pleasurable sensation, akin to taste, in the throat if action is lucky, or an unpleasant taste to prevent action; or the signal may be an odor, fragrant or the opposite, as the action will be lucky or not, or there will be an impulse or constraint in certain parts of the body, which will indicate what to do and what not to do at the critical time. The ghost may go even so far as to hold back the hand of the person when he would do something he should not.

How Luck Ghosts Get Results

As to the manner in which a ghost works on other persons to obtain an attitude or acts favorable to the ghost’s charge, it must always be borne in mind that a luck ghost cannot act against the law under which the others are entitled to certain protection. Where the others act in conformity with law the luck ghost cannot influence them to do what they know they would not do, nor not do what they know they should do. But where the other persons are not settled in right action, will wink at wrongdoing, are selfish, there the ghost can get them to do almost anything that will favor the result for the ghost’s charge. If the ghost gets them to do certain things unfavorable in the end to them, such persons are only being paid what they deserve, and at the same time the ghost’s charge is benefited.

The manner in which the ghost accomplishes its objects by acting on the others is to throw a picture before them which will cause them to think the matter is to their advantage. The picture may be sometimes true, or it may be false. Or the ghost will remind them of some experience in the past to influence their action. Or the ghost will blind them to the facts so that they cannot see the true relation of the circumstances. Or it will make them forget what they had intended to and should remember of their past experiences. Or it will throw a glamor over them for the time being to induce them to enter into what the ghost’s charge will find favorable to him. When the other person is not directly concerned with the action the ghost will bring a third or fourth person in to influence the person whose action is necessary for the success of the lucky one. Sometimes the results will be unfavorable to the other persons; at other times they will be benefited and be elated at the feeling of success which the presence of the good luck ghost inspires. What applies to good luck in business enterprises applies to luck in speculation, fights, gambling, love affairs, and in all mundane things.

The methods pursued by the bad luck ghost are, according to the situations, the same or similar as those used by the good luck ghost. The bad luck ghost does not advise, as little as does the good luck ghost. It acts on the senses, just like the good luck ghost. With bad luck go a want of confidence, doubt of success, apprehension of failure, in the sinking heart of the unlucky person when opportunity is presented. When failure is certain the bad luck ghost holds out pictures that raise false expectations. It brings them up in one moment and dashes them in the next. The unlucky person will see as through a gray mist, a dark past and a gloomy future. At other times things will appear to him rose colored, and then the life and color will go out as soon as he has acted upon the feeling or picture. The ghost will make him see facts out of their true proportions. The man will attach more importance to some than he should and to others less than he should. Thus when the times comes to act, or to let go, or leave alone, he will act upon a false judgment. The ghost will lead him on just like a will-o’-the-wisp. So the man will get out of one quagmire of trouble into another. Success, even if at times within his reach, will elude him, because the ghost brings about an extraneous event which influences others, changing the situation.

The good luck ghost and the bad luck ghost, whether ghosts already in existence in the elements or specially created, do not act independently either of their charge nor of their source—that is, their elemental master. They are impelled to act by their elemental ruler, as animals act by instinct. Ghosts cannot act otherwise, nor can they refuse to act. The elemental gods, however, are not omnipotent. There are limitations to what they can impel or permit luck ghosts to do or to prevent.

Thus are created and impelled and act the two kinds of elementals which produce good luck and bad luck. One kind exists in nature, is attracted to the human and attaches itself to him with the direction of its elemental master by reason of the man’s mental attitude. The second kind is specially created by the human, with permission and assistance of such an elemental master. Then there are yet third kinds, which are different from these two and are bestowed upon one person by another. This bestowal is brought about by the pronouncement of a blessing or a curse (see शब्द, Vol. 23, 65–67.), or by the gift of an object.

The Making of a Ghost to Bless and to Curse

Curses may be hurled upon one who has done evil, by a father, a mother, a wronged lover, a near relative, and by certain unfortunate persons whom he had wronged, and also by one who has naturally the power, though it be latent, to pronounce a spell.

Blessings may be given by a worthy father or mother, by one who has been helped in distress, and again by one who has the gift naturally to call down a blessing, though he be ignorant of it.

Contrary to common acceptation, the power is absent in the cases of mere popes and priests and others officiating as servants of religious institutions, whether as brahmins, shamans, rabbis, dervishes, sorcerers, or holy men generally, unless they have the natural power, or unless the power is developed through a special course of training and initiation into or mastery over the elements.

In the article referred to (शब्द, Vol. 23, pp. 66, 67) it is shown how these ghosts are formed. Generally speaking, there are two ways. One is where the person’s own evil or good thoughts and acts are drawn together and coalesced by the intense desire and thought of him or her who pronounces the curse or the blessing, and then precipitated on the person cursed or blessed. The other is the case where a certain spontaneous feeling goes up from the pronouncer and, uniting with some thought or action of the individual to be cursed or blessed, descends upon him. In these cases of cursing and blessing, the bad luck ghost or the good luck ghost is bound to the person without any worship being paid to the elemental god which, in such case, must furnish the instrumentality for the bad luck ghost or good luck ghost according to karmic law.

These ghosts so created by curses or blessings are different in structure from the other two kinds. The difference is that the material composing the ghost is a more developed elemental matter, because much of the matter is furnished by the one who is cursed or blessed himself and also by the one who curses or blesses, whereas comparatively little is taken from the elemental god. Such ghosts carry a baleful or benign influence with the person in their charge. One cannot get away from these curses or blessings until they are fulfilled. Sometimes the curse or the blessing is even felt by others than the one who carries it.

Luck Ghosts and Talismans

Luck may, further, be brought to one by the wearing or the possession of a talisman or amulet. (See शब्द, Vol. 22, pp. pp. 276–278, 339.) The luck ghost, bound and sealed to the object called a talisman or an amulet and usually intended to protect and benefit, is by the maker or giver of the magic object bestowed upon the holder. The ghost gets its power and impulse from the elemental god which had consented to render the service when called for by the amulet or talisman. (See शब्द, भोल्युम। 22, पृ. 339-341.)

Luck Is Exceptional

Genuine instances of good luck and of bad luck are exceptional. They are rare not only among the lives of the great mass of humanity, but rare even in the lives of the persons who are lucky or unlucky. Nor does luck give the satisfaction which the lucky one supposes it will bring.

The connection of luck with happiness is mostly in the belief of those who merely look on. Luck does not make a person happy nor bad luck unhappy. Lucky people are frequently unhappy and the unlucky happy.

(फेरि जारी राखौंला)