Janardan Swami, Guru of Sant Eknath of Maharashtra, was born in a Deshpande family on the sixth day of the dark fortnight of the month Phalgun in Saka Era 1426 (1504 AD). Dattatreya was their family deity. With his scholarship and devotion to Dattatreya, Janardan Swami earned wide recognition. According to the Marathi poet, Mahipati, he was a treasure house of knowledge.
Janardan Swami was initiated into spiritual life by Sage Nrsimha Saraswati.
Legend has it that Dattatreya used to manifest himself in him. His scholarship attracted even the Muslim chief of Daulatabad, who gave him an important post in his royal court.
Once a week, Janardan Swami devoted a whole day to silence, meditation, and communion with the Divine.
He authored many works but, unfortunately, only few of those works survive today.
Sant Eknath heard of about Janardan Swami and decided to study under him. Janardan Swami accepted him as his disciple after testing him. Sant Eknath served his preceptor with ardent devotion and learnt Shastras like Vedanta and Yoga. The teacher asked the disciple to practice penance on the nearby Sulabhanjana Mountain. Eknath went on a pilgrimage at the behest of his Guru. The teacher accompanied the student up to Nashik.
Janardan Swami requested Sant Eknath to write a commentary on some verses of Bhagavata. He also asked him to respect saints, to give food in charity, and eschew hatred and attachment to worldly pleasures.
Janardan Swami taught an excellent student who always concluded his verses with the name of his teacher, ‘eka Janardana.’
Janardan Swami constructed the Samadhi of his Guru in Daulatabad fort. The Samadhi of Janardan Swami is also found in the Daulatabad fort.