Pretas

Pretas (Sanskrit: preta, "the departed") are beings described in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology as hungry ghosts who suffer from insatiable hunger and thirst. The term comes from Sanskrit pretá, meaning "departed one" or "gone forth."

In Hindu texts, pretas are among the beings in the afterlife who have failed to receive proper rites for the dead or who have accumulated negative karma. They are often depicted as tormented beings that wander in a liminal realm, unable to satisfy their desires and experiencing great hunger. Ritual offerings to pretas, especially during ancestral ceremonies, are intended to relieve their suffering and restore balance to the living and dead.

In Buddhist cosmology, pretas form one of the six realms of samsara, the realm of hungry ghosts. They are said to be driven by attachment and greed, with inflated longing that cannot be satisfied, sometimes imagined with swollen abdomens and pinched throats. Their condition is said to be the result of past karma, and merit is generated by acts of generosity and dedicating merit to them.

Cultural practices associated with pretas vary by tradition. In East Asian Buddhism, the Ullambana festival and related rites include offerings to pretas to ease their suffering and prevent harm to the living. In some traditions, specific rituals such as feeding pretas or making merit on their behalf are observed as part of broader efforts to honor the dead and cultivate compassion.