This guide will shed light on the various unscrupulous offerings for Devatas on Ebay. This is the equivalent of attempting to sell the soul of a Catholic saint for $19.99. These sellers count on religious and cultural ignorance in order to make a sale.

Before I even begin this article, I would like to enourage you not to take my word on any of this. Before you even read a word here, pick up your telephone and contact your local Hindu temple or Vedanta center and ask to speak with one of the swamis there. Once you are in contact with one of them, simply explain that you are thinking of purchasing a Devata on Ebay and ask their opinion of this. Better yet, print out a copy of  one of the listings for Devata and bring it to your local Vedanta center and ask one of the swamis there for their thoughts on it. This article does not contain any information that anyone with an even passing awareness of Hindu culture does not know. Sellers who offer Devata for sale are counting on religious and cultural ignorance. Please educate yourself before falling into one of the many traps that have been set for you here in the metaphysical category. You have two choices: remain ignorant and take everyones word at face value and lose your money in the process -OR- educate yourself regarding esoteric and religious studies and be an informed buyer. The metaphysical category is no exception when it comes to being an educated consumer.  I would venture to say it is ESPECIALLY important to at least get a basic understanding of magick and spirituality in this category because certain people are literally BANKING on your ignorance.

Someone, somewhere along the line decided that Devatas would be the next Djinn and many followed suit. This is unfortunate, because just like the Ebay Djinn (which turned thousands of years of Islamic culture on it's head), the faux Devatas are now turning thousands of years of sacred Hindu cultural and religious beliefs on it's head.

Where do I even begin? Devatas do not grant wishes, make you rich, or bind themselves to cheap trinkets for people to buy on Ebay. That's the simple explanation. Devatas are a very complex and multifaceted group of beings that are prevalent in Sanatana Dharma where they are objects of worship and devotion. For anyone to claim that they have bound the spirit of a Devata to a piece of jewelry or any other item is to profane an entire culture and spiritual tradition. Those of you who have read my previous guides will recall the discussion regarding plastic shaman sellers trying to sell Native American Shaman items. The selling of Devatas is pretty much along the same lines. It is an absolute shame that Americans feel that they can so freely co-opt another cultures belief systems, contort them, lie about them, and then actually seek to turn a profit off of it. In fact, I can think of nothing more underhanded and disrespectful to the spirit world.

In Sanatana Dharma, the Devata represents the higher aspects of consciousness inherent in both man and God. In yoga, the Devata is also a symbol which represents human consciousness and the steps it takes to unite with the Divine. Devatas are traditionally depicted with many heads, arms, and weapons. These instruments are usually allegories for the human souls journey toward the One consciousness, or union with the Divine Self. Devatas are not wish granting genies who will rush at your beck and call. Devatas are seen as aspects of God and represent the various ways of imagining or "seeing" God. Devatas also are often ascribed to everything in the physical universe as well, from mountains and flowers to animals and rivers. On the surface, they may be seen as the equivalent of guardian angels, but their symbolism is much more complex. Devatas are FORMS of God and act as a doorway to the infinite Brahman (God). For example, Surya is the Devata of the sun. Since the sun is also an aspect of God, Surya is Brahman in sun FORM. It should go without saying that Surya, Shiva, or any other Devata or Deity is not going to embed themselves in a crystal for you to buy on Ebay. People all over the world worship in temples and petition Devatas at their home puja altars. They are objects of worship and devotion and they represent higher spiritual concepts and states of God consciousness. Even a great satguru would not so disgrace their own culture by claiming to bind the spirit of God into a ring. 

The concept of the Devata in Hindu culture is very complex, and you must dive deeper to understand their cultural and religious significance. If you are serious about transcending the limits of your ego and your identification with the temporal body, and you have a passion for seeing the Divine in everything, then you may wish to explore the concept of Devatas through Sanatana Dharma. Through meditation, understanding, prayer, and devotion, you can access the realm of the Devatas. However, they will not grant you wishes or make you win the lottery. As with any form of worship, you may petition the Gods and Goddesses to work on your behalf (prayer) and invite them to work their power in your life, but you cannot buy, sell, or own them. There must be RESPECT when approaching any deity, and when that respect is not there, the response will always be minimal. Just as you cannot buy the spirit of Jesus Christ in a necklace on Ebay and expect to have your life change, you cannot buy a Devata in a ring on Ebay. If you want to know Christ, you must pray sincerely, study, and be passionate about knowing who he is. It is the same with any Ishta Devata (God form of choice). Start studying Vedic texts if you want to come to know the Devata realms, don't disrrespect their energies by thinking you can by them from someone who has no idea what they even are.

If you look at the listings offering Devata for sale, you can see that the seller merely took a literal translation of Devata and ran with it, making up their own embellishments as they went along. They then added the keyphrases like "wish granting" and "extreme wealth" in order to lure innocent minds. It infuriates me that these people count on their own ignorance and the ignorance of others in order to make a living.

I repeat. You cannot BUY the spirit of Ganesh, Surya, Lakshmi, Shiva, or Kali on Ebay. You cannot buy Devas or Devatas either. I feel foolish even writing an article like this because it should be common sense and unfortunately it is not. You can buy tools for devotion, puja, or communication with the ethereal realms, but you cannot buy an actual soul/spirit. I sometimes offer spells for ritual use, and I also call in some of these dieties when I am preparing bottles. Because I have great respect for the Hindu pantheon, and have witnessed the extent of their power, I will often petition them in my spell work. This does not mean that I have transposed the spirit of the deity INTO the actual bottle or talisman. It means I have peititioned their assistance to imbue the item with their attributes. This is the most that can be done in regard to a spell. We are human beings, and even those of us who are skilled in weilding energy know that respect is an essential part of any magickal practice.

Those who are in the business of pretending to sell gods through exploiting the cultural and religious traditions of others are in for a rude awakening. To do such a thing is one of the most negative karmic acts a human being can undertake. If you were to get deep within the reasons why they do this, you would see that it is purely for money and this is a perfect example of money being the root of all evil. That said, those who are in the business of selling Devata and those who have jumped on the Devata bandwagon have revealed their true intentions. Many of them are ignorant at best and anti-Hindu at worst. It is the same as many of the anti-pagan sellers who sell "witch" items. Please educate yourselves and don't lose your hope and your money to the sharks.

"There are two types of Devatas, incarnations of the Lord and jivas with special qualification. None of the Lord's servants shall be disrespected. Those souls who, by the mercy of the Lord have attained positions to control and protect the world, are considered to be Devata and shall not be disrespected."  -Swami Guarangapada