What is a devata — really? Dr. Robert Svoboda, Ayurveda Acharya and author of Aghora, offers a radical answer from both Vedic philosophy and lived experience.
Svoboda — who got his bachelor’s degree at 18, went to Africa, was treated by a “witch doctor” and taken to the chief shrine of the Yoruba goddess Oshun — explains devatas as beings that emerge in the liminal space between human perception and cosmic reality: humans perceive from one angle, reality perceives from the other, and where they meet, a devata is born. This framework places the Meenakshi temple in Pearland, Texas, the 95-foot Hanuman statue in Houston, and Oshun worship in Brazil within the same universal logic. The conversation moves through Ayurveda, Jyotisha, Tantra, and Shankaracharya’s Bhaja Govindam — arriving at satsanga itself as the highest transformative practice.
About the Speakers:
Dr Robert Svoboda is an Ayurvedic physician and Vedic astrologer. He is one of the few Westerners to be certified as an Ayurvedic practitioner by the Indian government. Svoboda has written several books on Ayurveda and Vedic astrology, including “Prakriti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution” and “Ayurveda for Women.” He is also a fellow of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine and has been practicing Ayurveda for over 30 years. Svoboda’s approach combines Western and Indian medical traditions, emphasizing the importance of individualized treatment and lifestyle changes.
Dr Ramkumar is a lifelong student of Ayurveda and other traditional Indian knowledge systems. Over the last 2 decades, he has given talks and conducted workshops in the Americas, Africa, Europe, Australia, and many parts of Asia, promoting health, happiness, and contentment.
Rahul Dewan is a tech entrepreneur, angel investor, blogger, social activist, and Yoga & Meditation practitioner. In 2016, he founded SangamTalks – the largest YouTube channel for documentation of ‘Indian Knowledge Systems’ (IKS) and untold Indian History. Having exited his software services business (600 people) successfully, he now dedicates his full time to Dharmic causes. He is currently on a mission to raise 1000 Crores for Hindu civilizational causes, and to campaign for making Hinduism Missionary again.
