far greater stress on devotion to Rama,
of which Bhushundi is a perfect exam-
ple. In Indian culture, crows are consid-
ered unclean birds since they are
scavengers who will eat anything. Yet in
one of the narrative levels of the
Ramcharitmanas, it is the “unclean”
crow Bhushundi who narrates the story
to the “sacred” eagle Garuda—the vehi-
cle of the god Vishnu. As part of his
account in the Ramayana, Bhushundi
relates the terrifying experience of being
given an unmediated vision of Rama in
all his majesty, and how he (as did the
sage Markandeya) went into Rama’s
mouth and perceived the entire uni-
verse inside.
Bhut
(“[someone who] was”) The spirit of a
person who has recently died, which is
still inappropriately connected to the
world of the living. This is often a trou-
bling or malevolent presence, either to
the departed’s family or the general pop-
ulation. Bhuts and other malignant spir-
its, such as prets or churails, have
generally either suffered an untimely or
violent death or died with certain unful-
filled desires, particularly relating
to marriage and family life. In cases
where both these factors are present, the
likelihood of the departed becoming a
bhut is deemed much greater. Bhuts
make themselves known to the living
through either dreamsor possession. In
some cases they have specific requests
and can be placated by worship and
offerings. In such cases the dreams and
possession are methods of communi-
cating with the living, who can perform
the necessary actions. Some bhuts
resort to possession as an attempt to
realize their unfulfilled desires by
directly using a living person’s body.
These spirits are far more malevolent,
and the only way to remove them is
through exorcism. For further informa-
tion on the care of restless family spirits,
see Ann Grodzins Gold, Fruitful
Journeys, 1988; for a masterful psycho-
logical interpretation of spirits, posses-
sion, and healing, see Sudhir Kakar,
Shamans,Mystics,and Doctors, 1991.Bhut
Women praying at a shrine in Bihar. This northern Indian state is home to many sacred sites.