Paramhansa Parivrajakacharya Shree Gangadhartirth Swami Maharaj was the very bright lamp of the Shaktipat Yoga Convention of the most recent times. This bright lamp set alights a single flame with competent blessings to carry forward the divine convention forever. The entire life of Shri Swami was like a Devine lamp, offering illumination, peace, and pleasantness. There was never any hustle or shuttling nor pilgrimage in his life. No babbling of intense penance. Fame never touched his life. The ego never came near him, not even in a dream. Such a pure life he had. It is almost impossible to trace his sublime life.

There is no information available about his name and past life. His life span is said to be approximately from 1840 to 1908. It is really amazing that in these recent years of modern science also, one devotes his life entirely and nobody from society can recognize him. No wonder there must have been many great authorities from the ancient times who have remained unknown. The origins of his family line belong to Bajpeyee Brahmin. He was a resident of Ayodhya city of Prabhu Ramchandra. Earlier years of his life are not known. Whether he was married or not; had he any occupation; if not, then what he did; how was his family-background; what may be the ancestral traditions of his family or deity of the lineage in which he was born, for all these queries a vow of silence is the only answer. But it is a fact that Swamiji took refuge in Himalaya in his teenage leaving his home. This was before he renounced the world. His craving for dispassion could not keep him tied to the material world. He simply left for Himalaya without informing anyone.

He met there Vibhuti – an ascetic in orange attire. This he simply puts like, he was initiated by his Guru. Unexpectedly I met my Gurudev and He spared me a divine knowledge, told me to be in deep penance, offered me propitious blessings. The one who GIVES is Datta and the one who RECEIVES is a devotee. “That ascetic has obliged me – a devotee – by sparing divine knowledge. After giving proper guidance he disappeared and never met in physical form again” he said. It was a transcendental experience. But he never mentioned any more about it again. Shree Gangadhartirth decided to return from Himalaya, as his motive was fulfilled. He went straight to Jagannath Puri instead of returning to his home at Ayodhya. He went to Gowardhan Peeth seeking
asceticism. He became an ascetic ceremoniously after a stay at that place for some period. On adapting himself to this hermitage, he became known as Param Poojya Paramhansa Shri Gangadharswamimaharaj.

Swami Maharaj by nature was taciturn – a man of few words. He never approved of idle chatting, speaking aloud or discussing scriptures etc. He avoided adding disciples around him. He was reluctant to join the crowd even at Gowardhan Hermitage. With this inclination within, he preferred a shelter in a small hut near Chandan Lake in Jagannath Puri. He hardly left his shelter. He did not go for alms himself. He was accompanied by one or two celibates as his disciples. They were to go for the alms and this way Swamijee’s alms were taken care of. He was to be in deep penance. He never introduced himself to anyone and remained away from making anyone aware of his spiritual riches. He was taken as a common ascetic by the people. This prevented a mob from material wishes around him. Parampoojya Shree Narayantirth Swami Maharaj was the only disciple of Swami Maharaj. Whatever little we came to know about Shree Gangadhartirth Swami Maharaj is due to him. The absolute legendary, most imposing divinity, supernatural mastery of Parampoojya Shree Gangadhartirth Swami Maharaj can be affixed from the biography of this only disciple. Once, Parampoojya Shri Narayantirth Swami Maharaj was missing Shri Gurudev a lot. He was deeply distressed by the remembrance and he wrote a letter to Shri Gurudev. Actually the worldly existence of Shri Gurudev had already merged into eternal omnipresence. The information reached by the letter which was sent by another devotee. It
was the period of 1908. II Our sincere salutations at the lotus feet of Adinath, Paratpar Shri Gurudev Shrimat Paramhansa Parivrajakacharya 1008 Shri Gangadhartirth Swami Maharaj