--- In [email protected], "Paul Mason" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Today I posted a short blog on TM-Free. > A respondent doubted my interpretation of Guru Dev's teachings on > siddhis so I went back to the text of his satsang, and I re-read the > relevant section, about enlisting the help of the deity of the mantra & > that siddhis can also come from Yakshas, Bhutas, Pretas and Pishachas.. > You might be interested to check it out > http://tmfree.blogspot.com/2007/02/tm-gods-siddhis.html
>From the page you cite: "Bhuta, Preta, Pishacha A common Hindu belief holds that the spirits of men and women who died with their wishes unfulfilled, wander in the world and haunt the living instead of going to Yamapuri (see Moksha). These spirits can be broadly categorised into three classes: Bhuta, preta and pishacha. "A bhuta is the spirit of a man who died a violent death either by accident, suicide, or capital punishment, and has not had a proper funeral ceremony. "A preta (literally departed, deceased, dead) is the spirit of a dead person before his funeral rites are performed. However the word is more commonly applied to the spirit of a deformed or a crippled person or of one defective in some limb or organ, or of a child that dies prematurely, owing to the omission of ceremonies during the formation of the embryo (see Sanskara). A preta is not necessarily wicked or malicious towards people. "A pishacha is a demon created by a man's vices. It is the ghost of a liar, drunkard, adulterer, criminal, or of one who has died insane. There are many tales and fables about these spirits, describing some as malevolent and others as good-natured and helpful. Spirits are believed to live either at the site of their death or in secluded places. Abandoned homes and peepal trees are two favorite spots." So this is where Patanjali got his siddhis sutras?
