Evil Eye or Drishti: Any Basis to Believe this?

Evil eye, glance believed to have the ability to cause injury or death to those on whom it falls; pregnant women, children, and animals are thought to be particularly susceptible. Belief in the evil eye is ancient and ubiquitous; it occurred in ancient Greece and Rome, in Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, and Hindu traditions, and in indigenous, peasant, and other folk societies, and it has persisted throughout the world into modern times. 

The evil eye has been a belief from as far back as Classical antiquity. There are mentions of it in Hesiod, Plato, Diodorus Siculus, Aulus Gellius, Pliny the Elder, Theocritus and Plutarch to name but a few of the hundreds of references made in the ancient literature. All these sources express the idea of the evil eye in slightly differing and often fragmentary terms but the basis for our understanding of the ancient belief comes from Aristophanes, Athenaeus, Plutarch and Heliodorus. 

Plutarch attempts to explain the evil eye in scientific terms by relating it to deadly rays and poisoned darts from the inner recesses of a person who possesses the evil eye. Different areas of the Greek and Roman world looked at the evil eye differently and with certain degrees of fear and trepidation. The people of Pontus and Scythia were particularly thought to possess the evil eye and were to be kept wary about. And Alexander the Great himself is believed to be the transmitter of the belief into the East with his influential campaigns in the fourth century BC.

Those most often accused of casting the evil eye include strangers, malformed individuals, childless women, and old women.

The power of the evil eye is sometimes held to be involuntary; a Slavic folktale, for example, relates the story of a father afflicted with the evil eye who blinded himself in order to avoid injuring his own children. More frequently, however, malice toward and envy of prosperity and beauty are thought to be the cause. Thus, in medieval Europe it was considered unlucky to be praised or to have one’s children or possessions praised, so some qualifying phrase such as “as God will” or “God bless it” was commonly used.

Measures taken to ward off the evil eye vary widely between cultures. For example, some authorities suggest that the purpose of ritual cross-dressing—a practice that has been noted in the marriage ceremonies of parts of India—is to avert the evil eye. Asian children sometimes have their faces blackened, especially near the eyes, for protection. 

Among some Asian and African peoples the evil eye is particularly dreaded while eating and drinking, because soul loss is thought to be more prevalent when the mouth is open; in these cultures, the ingestion of substances is either a solitary activity or takes place only with the immediate family and behind locked doors. Other means of protection, common to many traditions, include the consumption of protective foodstuffs or decoctions; the wearing of sacred texts, amulets, charms, or talismans (which may also be hung upon animals for their protection); the use of certain hand gestures; and the display of ritual drawings or objects.

The evil eye is believed to be cast by a malevolent glare, usually given to a person when one is unaware. Many cultures believe that receiving the evil eye will cause misfortune or injury, while others believe it to be a kind of supernatural force that casts or reflects a malevolent gaze back-upon those who wish harm upon others (especially innocents).

The idea expressed by the term causes many different cultures to pursue protective measures against it, with around 40% of the world's population believing in the evil eye.

The concept and its significance vary widely among different cultures. 

Islam: 

In Islam, the evil eye is a common belief that individuals have the power to look at people, animals or objects to cause them harm. It is tradition among many Muslims that if a compliment is to be made one should say "TabarakAllah" (=Blessings of God) or "Masha'Allah" (=God has willed it") to ward off the evil eye. Reciting Sura Ikhlas, Sura Al-Falaq and Sura Al-Nas from the Qur'an, three times after Fajr and after Maghrib is also used as a means of personal protection against the evil eye.

Hinduism

In Hinduism, it has been said that a person will have bad luck if he is given too much attention, good or bad, by other people. The attention could be the result of jealousy, or it could even be due to too much praise. Pretty much, it is a curse of bad luck that is cause when somebody looks on your too much,  i.e., whether with bad intentions or good intentions.

Hindu mothers will protect their babies by putting black eyeliner on their eyes or a dot of black eyeliner on the side of the neck to ward off the evil eye. There are also charm bracelets, tattoos, or other objects that can be worn by people to prevent the curse. 

However, what should be the attitude of a spiritual aspirant be towards Evil Eye?

Summary of the Satsang:

Swami Velukkudi: Only to a small extent it is true that we can be affected by other people's "drishti" (evil eye). However, looking at our lives and sadhana from a higher perspective, it cannot be accepted that someone's evil eyes can have an effect on our lives. It is our own Karma that comes to us in the form of other people's "drishti".

If we are confident and surefooted that we nothing is going to affect us, then, all forms of harm set by others, whether it comes to us as "drishti" or other malevolent forces, nothing has the power to affect us. if we are regular in our daily sadhana (=spiritual practice), and if we have unshakeable faith in God, nothing, not even drishti (=evil eye) or any misfortune will visit us.

Sources: Britanica