DEATH AND RESURRECTION. 23 



Earthly death consists in the separa- 

 tion of the higher elements, spirit, soul 

 and Men, which form a unity for them- 

 selves, from the lower elements and a 

 removal of the former to Hades. The 

 lower elements, the earthly, the vege- 

 tal and the animal, continue in the 

 grave for a longer or shorter time to 

 co-operate and form a certain unity, 

 which, from the higher elements, retain 

 something of the living man's personal- 

 ity and qualities. This lower unity is 

 the ghost, the wraith, which usually 

 sleeps during the day in the grave, but 

 in the night might wake either spon- 

 taneously or by other people's prayers 

 and sorcery. The ghost possesses the 

 nature of the deceased; it is good and 

 benevolent, or evil and dangerous, ac- 

 cording to his disposition. Because 

 animal and vegetal elements form part 

 of his nature, he is tormented by a 

 craving for nourishment if he wakes 

 from his slumber. 



These conceptions of a dualistic life 

 after death, common among the Veda- 



