There’s been a lot of confusion and curiosity amongst humans about ghosts, demons, bhoot, preta etc. Here I have explained in a very generic sense and in context to Hinduism what means what?!
Ghosts: Ghosts are the souls that could have had a sudden death, some are still processing their leaving the physical body and are yet to ascend to the next plane. If they are too attached to the earthly desires or if their desires are still unfulfilled or if they have strong emotions still; they could remain as a ghost/bhoot and could be lost also. To ascend to the next plane is their choice and since that plane they exist is closer to earth, they tend to be closer to humans. Ghosts can both be good or bad and of course they are very much capable of troubling humans.
Preta: Preta is a soul that is waiting to ascend based on their karma. It takes 13 days for Preta to ascend and during this time the rituals are performed to help the soul ascend. You will find this in many cultures all over the world. It could be lost or captured by tantrics and missued if not given proper rituals. These rituals keep them safe and the food, water that is offered to them helps in the formation of their celestial body. Yes, they do feel all the thirst and hunger. After their 13th day they are the ones we also call ‘ancestors’.
Pishach (Evil Spirits): Based on the souls karma, it is decided if they get to go in pishach yoni/ realm and it’s due to their evil deeds only. They are also the easy targets to be used to harm humans. They feed on negativity, the negative emotions help them grow and gain power. They have the ability to possess humans. They can also roam on the Earth like forever until unless saved by a saint.
Demi Gods: They are the devtas who were cursed and to get rid of the curse they offer their help to humans to improve their karma. You must have seen in many cultures demi Gods are worshipped. It is their this good karma that can help them ascend further in their realm and their life span is very long compared to human ages.
Demons: Demons could be a generic term for Rakshas and Asurs in Hinduism. They are intellectually strong beings. They can read human minds, thoughts & can recgonise your fears. That’s how they mess up with your memories. They can sense who your loved one’s are, harm them. They cannot tell you about your future but are tricky, wicked, will lure you into believing that they are helping you and will eventually harm you. That’s their way of getting into human lives and feeding onto them, their energies leading to destructions.
Rakshasa’s/Ogres: As per Hinduism Rakshasa’s/ Ogres also giants, were created to protect various elements on earth like waters, forests. Not all of them were known to be evil but they were human eaters too (cannibalism). They co-existed with humans on this earth. They were born from Brahama, the creator. They were powerful, held supernatural powers. Some of them are worshipped as they are the demigods.
Asurs in simple terms are the one’s opposite to Devta’s in nature. Asurs, they reside in underground and there are many categories amongst them known to bother, destroy human beings. They also challenge the authority of Gods, demigods. They are the opposite of good. They are the other side of duality and are devious in nature.
Hope it gives you some insight!
Rhythm Kanwar