FAQ

Q.  Is this an information site or a commercial gallery?

A.  Both. While Divine Net Galleries is a commercial organization, we are also gathering and disseminating as much information possible for those interested in this re-emerging field.

Q.  What is a “Pawang” and where did these come from?

A.  A Pawang is a tribal Shaman. Many of these objects originated in Indonesia, within a spiritual tradition that employs not only the nine Vedic gems, but a host of other natural fossils, bezoar stones, and tribal artifacts. Most have been found in nature (i.e. in animal remains), while others have been sold that were personal keepsakes; some of the rarer gems have been considered by local tradition to have been the product of group meditation.

 

Q.  What is a Shaman and how is that related to Hinduism?

A.  Shaman comes from the Sanskrit word “sramana”, which means “ascetic”, and is related to the word “sram” meaning “to exert”. Generally, shamanism refers to any religion that believes spirits can be influenced by priests (or shamans), which includes many indigenous tribal faiths around the globe. It is considered that shamanic practice is most closely related to Saktism, one of the four main branches of Hinduism, which is traced back minimally to 5500 BCE in the region of Meghrgarh, India.

 

Q.  If these are so valuable, why would anyone be selling them?

A.  The Shamanic tradition differs from Vedic tradition inasmuch as some of these objects may be less treasured within its spiritual path; each category of artifact is useful only to a certain extent under its practices. If the fossilized shrunken mummy of an ancient Shaman might be the most valuable object to possess within one tribal tradition, greater than a cobra pearl or cloud pearl, or if a non-Vedic stone within a variant tradition may be valued more, this balances out the supply and demand characteristics (i.e. How much would it cost to obtain another fossilized mummy vs. another Cloud Pearl?) and facilitates commercial exchange of these types of artifacts.

Q.  How many ______ pearls do you have for sale?

A.  Gallery information regarding inventory, customers, and pricing is confidential, to protect all parties in these transactions. Those acquiring certain items are also provided with additional information beyond what is stated on this site.

 

Q.  How could people believe something might have been meditated into existence?; haven't even Hindu swamis or other Spiritualists been found to be charlatans?

A.  The number of objects on Divine Net Galleries reported to be from meditation are very few,  but it is true that some widely-known cases of “materialization” have not been credible.  However, the Vedic cultural understanding of mysterious creation properties extends far beyond any single individual's claims; sacred objects themselves may demonstrate similar powers. For example, an old portrait of a certain guru might routinely emit vermilion until it is sold to a collector... at which time the phenomenon may cease. When returned, it may go back to emitting red powder again- classically, these are objects empowered by faith over generations. Such phenomena are less widely reported, but commonly understood. Belief in the same practice is a traditional tenet of Western Christianity as well, with the Bible teaching that Jesus spontaneously created bread, fish or wine before thousands of observers. The Vedic characterization of a Shaman is a practical leadership position akin to the “acharya”, or philosopher-king- the naturally appointed spiritual guardian of respected religious practice derived from extensive knowledge and powers received from generation after generation.

 

Q.  How is it that you might be considering these objects “holy”?

A.  The pearls are considered 'talismans' (objects with innate subtle energy) in the Indonesian tribal culture, wherein a great number of different types of pearls and other kinds of objects have tantamount significance. The “nine pearls” are used within tribal Indonesia under the same names used in India, coming from a culture that supplies Vedic practitioners with other religious artifacts as well. While the tribal belief system of Indonesia intersects deeply with both Hinduism and Islam, it is Hindu culture that has a written tradition regarding the existence of these specific pearls in its sacred texts.

The shells, largely from Tibet, are considered sacred by degrees (i.e. Both left and right are revered [see Dakshinavarti Shankh Page]) according to one's personal views or alignment within Hindu theology.

While revered in other cultures, the seeds known as Rudraksha (or “Tears of Shiva”) are definitively sacred objects within the practice of Vaidika Dharma, or “religion of the Vedas”.

 

Q.  How can one tell that these gems are from the animals indicated?

A.  It is the life work of some clerical practitioners to uphold the tribal tradition around these pearls (and others), along with reputably conferring the ancient practices that surround them. Since there is little knowledge base on the pearls in the West, they had initially been conferred to Divine Net Galleries as if we, in reverse, might have been trading back using technical parts for computer equipment that was not locally owned and operated. If the next buyer couldn't identify them as the part numbers we indicated or they didn't work, that relationship would certainly not continue. The expectations and behavior of the objects offered through Divine Net Galleries have conformed to expectations by the practitioners within Hinduism (the Brahamana) who are traditionally qualified and trained to make such assessments. It is also notable that both cultures expect the one obtaining such an object to be able to discern for themselves whether any given piece is authentic (or empowered, or 'the one for them', etc.), according to personal interactions which are not considered “standard procedure” in both cultures.

Q.  Were animals hurt or hunted to obtain these pearls?

A.  Only on extremely rare occasions is a pearl found in the remains of an animal that lost its life when menacing a village. They are generally acquired from nature, by spiritual practitioners; ones that have deep reverence and respect for all animal life, and all life.

 

Q.  Do I need to worry whether these artifacts were pillaged from some culturally-protected archaeological dig... or something else illegal?

A.  These objects are not considered culturally protected items under the UNESCO treaty, and have been purchased legitimately from known individuals who, as a professional career, routinely deal with this genre of practical objects in a local spiritual path. As far as import/export, the objects are considered wildlife by-product, often antique, not hunted, not poached, and not in violation of protected species laws.

 

Q.  What are you warranting as a vendor of these items, and what aren't you?

A.  What you are viewing at Divine Net Galleries are cultural objects, obtained according to the traditions of their original cultural, and displayed in a gallery of artifacts for a sister culture. Thusly, these are objects of faith, passed between culture to culture, according to the terms and conditions codified in these belief systems.

 

Q.  What are the cultural codes and terms surrounding the pearls?

A.  Indonesian tribal culture, the geographic origin of most of the pearls, has longstanding traditions that teach how to identify and to work with such unusual objects found in nature. Any given piece is initially identified by knowledge workers within its traditions, which is used to assess the first-hand report given by the one(s) who find or inherit it.  Often, longstanding day-to-day interactions with any given pearl then provide an additional level of “inherent” experiential veracity.  After this, they are often given “readings” by other tribal specialists who have a primary role to assess subtle features about the gems, such as gender or name, which is noted with any given placement. When they arrive into a more Hindu context, other factors are observed and considered, new ritual procedures are performed and conferred, and this is described in the pearl pages at Divine Net Galleries. In a great number of cases, however, the traditions and practices between cultures are very similar if not identical.

 

Q.  Can these gems be certified somewhere?

A.  The fact is that there is no existing scientific procedure to describe or to detect a consistent composition and formation process for these objects (barring Oyster and Conch Pearls), so neither Divine Net Galleries nor anyone else will be able to provide these kinds of pearls as 'certified gemstones' per se. According to the Vedas, the responsibility for proof of any given gem (in addition to providing its installation procedures) lies solely with the Brahmana, or spiritual caste of Hinduism... not gem experts who may see them only according to physical or commercial characteristics.  Of course, as the certification process comes to a level of practical applicability, this will certainly be undertaken, however tradition within Hinduism confers that most spiritual objects such as these gems are beyond testing.  And, Divine Net Galleries is indeed performing ongoing tests on these objects, which will supplement the text on this website over time.

Q.  Are the Cobra Pearls described on this site the same as [“Hajar Alhayyat”, “Ovum Anguinum”, “Gleini na Droedh”, “Glaine nan Druidhe”, etc.]?

A.  The tradition of snake stones is a global affair, and probably easiest to imagine as a Naga Mani family of gems; the localized history of any given branch being the key to expected characteristics.  The oldest  written tradition on the subject, classically considered the most authoritative among variants, is Vedic.  However, the Vedas and Puranas are based in oral tradition; similar to the Indonesian tribal culture which has no commensurate body of written information, but rooted just as deep in antiquity.  In the case of Divine Net Galleries, the artifacts herein are from this geographic arena of shared Vedic and tribal culture; a history commensurate to the age of the Puranas.   We surmise that many variations are at least somewhat similar, but regionally follow suit to the degree possible from the basis of much older Vedic culture.

Q.  What kind of warranty do these things have?

A.  We are not able to certify objects of faith any more than a clergyman could provide a warranty for marriage, or a return policy for the last rites. Ultimately, the burden of proof falls on history and science to unfold the mysteries of tribal tradition, over time and continued ongoing discussion. Divine Net Galleries is simply conveying these artifacts as they are known indigenously by tribal spiritual practitioners; agents for a 'transaction of faith' otherwise only possible if the buyer was transacting with tribal practitioners themselves.

However, all Divine Net Galleries offerings do have an unconditional ten-day return policy.