Swami Sivananda on Ghost-world

An except from "LIGHT ON THE YOGA WAY OF LIFE" by Swami Sivananda.

Question: Please throw some light on the Ghost-world. Does it exist?

Answer: Yes. It does exist. It is only the interim stage when, after giving up the physical
body, the soul has not yet taken the next body. Then, we live in a subtle condition. The Vasanas, Samskaras, all the subtle portions of the mind are there. Therefore that subtle thing has got the same nature, same likes and dislikes, as the person when he was living on earth.
Just as some Karmas are worked out in the physical body, some other Karmas are worked
out in the Preta Sareera also. That is what we call the heaven and the hell. If the person has committed some extremely heinous negative action, then in the Preta-state, he is sometimes caught up. He has to remain in that state for a long time. His nature is so bad that he
cannot remain quiet. And so, sometimes he causes trouble to people, always haunts such localities where he had been accustomed to indulge himself while living here. These are the bad Pretas. They are extremely bad spirits who, while living, had committed, say a number of murders and lived a very sinful life; even they can be helped by prayers; and they are speeded up on their journey. For instance, people who commit suicide sometimes get caught up in their subtle bodies. We do charity, we do Japa, or we conduct Bhagavata Saptaha, and thus get them released from their tangle.

There was a Swami in South India. He had a young wife who never agreed to his taking Sannyasa. When he did take Sannyasa, she fell into a well and committed suicide. She became a Preta and was caught up; she could not get into another body. The Swami came to know of her condition. By a Tarpana, he gave her the power of one day’s Gayatri Japa. At once she was released from her miserable condition. Even now there are Pretas wandering about us. There is no necessity to fear Pretas. Those who lead a pure life, who do Gayatri Japa and are devoted to God, cannot be troubled by even the bad Pretas.

Normally the Pretas remain as such for a considerable time. But, when a man has very intense desires in connection with some unfulfilled work, sometimes he is immediately born. But, usually a long period of time elapses, and we have to bear in mind that the computation of time in the Preta-world is not the same as ours—their years are much longer from our point of view.