After his wife's death and his guru Nayan Bharati's sanjeevan samadhi, Morya also took sanjeevan samadhi by burying himself alive in a tomb with a holy book in his hand.[2][6][7] Morya left strict orders that his tomb be never opened.[7] Chintamani built a temple over his father's tomb.[2] Chintamani is described to have shown his true form as Ganesha to the Varkari saint-poet Tukaram (1577 – c.1650), who called Chintamani a Dev spelt also as Deva or Deo (god). The lineage was henceforth known as the Dev family.[7]
Chintamani was followed as a Dev by Narayan, Chintamani II, Dharmadhar, Chintamani III, Narayan II and Dharmadhar II. The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (1658–1707) gifted Narayan the hereditary grant of eight villages, impressed by the latter's "miracle" of changing a piece of beef sent by the former into jasmine flowers. (Beef is considered unholy in Hinduism and killing of cows – considered sacred – is prohibited.[9]) Narayan II violated Morya's orders and opened the latter's tomb. According to the tale, Morya who was found still mediating in the tomb, was disturbed and cursed Narayan that his son would be the last Dev. Narayan's son, Dharmadhar II – the seventh generation of Morya – died childless in 1810 ending the direct lineage of Morya, but a distant relative of Dharmadhar, Sakhari was installed as a Dev by the priesthood to continue the temple funding.[7] Devotional poetry of all the Devs still survive.[2]