Dandiswami Purnananda Tirtha Maharaj

Dandiswami Purnananda Tirtha Maharaj

It has been clarified that Dandiswami Purnananda Tirtha Maharaj was a disciple in the Shankaracharya tradition. He followed the Advaita Vedanta philosophy. This means his spiritual lineage begins with Adi Shankaracharya and continues within that same guru–disciple succession.

Nature of the Dandi Sannyasi Lineage

In the Shankaracharya tradition, the guru–disciple relationship of the Dandi Sannyasis holds great significance. Beginning with Adi Shankaracharya, this lineage has spread across major centers such as Kashi, Triveni, and Himachal. Purnananda Tirtha Maharaj is regarded as a torchbearer of this glorious Shankaracharya–Vedanta tradition and as a participant in the Dandi Sannyasi order.

Therefore, his lineage may be summarized as:

Adi Shankaracharya → Successive Pontiffs / Guru Lineage → Purnananda Tirtha Maharaj

This tradition can be detailed further based on his spiritual guru, monastic seat (Peeth), and ashram records, all of which fundamentally belong to the Shankaracharya order.

Difference between Dandi Swami and Dandi Sannyasi

Both Dandi Swamis and Dandi Sannyasis belong to the Hindu renunciant (sannyasa) tradition and carry a staff (danda). However, there are subtle distinctions between them.

Dandi Sannyasi

Meaning: The word dandi means “one who holds the staff”, and sannyasi means “renunciant.”

Identity: Those who follow the Vedic and Sanatana Dharma traditions in the Advaita Vedanta path.

Tradition: They primarily belong to the Dashanami order founded by Adi Shankaracharya.

Lifestyle: Their lives are devoted to celibacy, non-meat diet, and spiritual discipline, renouncing worldly attachments and pleasures.

Eligibility: Only Brahmins can take Dandi Sannyasa vows.

Dandi Swami

Meaning: The word Swami denotes a spiritual teacher or guru.

Identity: They are ascetics who always carry the staff and travel mostly on foot.

Eligibility: Becoming a Dandi Swami requires twelve years of strict celibacy and observance of rigorous renunciation.

After death: They are not cremated but given samadhi; their bodies are immersed in a sacred river, symbolizing completion of their spiritual journey.

In summary, a Dandi Sannyasi is a broad term for renunciants carrying a staff, while a Dandi Swami specifically refers to a senior teacher who exemplifies the highest discipline and spiritual mastery.

In the image described, Dandiswami Purnananda Tirtha Maharaj is shown seated in deep meditation with the danda (staff).

Regional Ashrams and Saintly Traditions

Dandiswami Purnananda Tirtha Maharaj was associated with five regional monastic traditions or ashrams — Sharda Math (Dwarka, Gujarat), Sringeri Math (Karnataka), Triveni (Hooghly district, West Bengal), Kashi (Uttar Pradesh), and Himachal Pradesh. This shows that his saintly influence extended across India’s major religious centers.

Are Sringeri Math and Sharda Math the same?

In the 1950s–1970s, they were regarded separately. After independence, saints worked to sustain faith and tolerance nationwide. The Guru occasionally visited Sringeri, sometimes Dwarka, and attended major gatherings like the Kumbh Mela. 

Ultimately, he was affiliated with the Sharda Math of Dwarka.

Sringeri Math (Sringeri Sharada Peetham):

Located in Karnataka, southern India, this monastery is one of the four founded by Adi Shankaracharya. Known as the Dakshinamnaya Sharada Peetham, it promotes Advaita Vedanta and is dedicated to Goddess Sharada (Saraswati).

Sharda Math (Dwarka Sharada Peetham):

Situated in Dwarka, Gujarat, it is called the Paschimamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham, also established by Shankaracharya. It emphasizes Vedantic philosophy and study of the Sama Veda, and is part of the western Chardham circuit.

Sharada Peeth (in present-day Pakistan-administered Kashmir):

Located in the Neelum Valley, this ancient temple and center of learning (6th–12th century CE) was one of the earliest known Hindu temple-university complexes. Dedicated to Goddess Sharada (Saraswati), it remains a holy site especially revered by Kashmiri Pandits.

Traditional Marks on His Arms

In photographs, markings seen on Dandiswami Purnananda Tirtha Maharaj’s arms may represent traditional Vaishnava or Dandi Sannyasi insignia — known in Sanskrit as tilaka-chihna, urdhva-pundra, or samskara-chihna. Such signs are usually bestowed by one’s guru during initiation and signify spiritual discipline within Vaishnava, Vedantic, or ascetic traditions.

Personal Habits and Teachings

He offered food first to his own guru before partaking of it along with his disciple. He accepted offerings only if prepared with purity and sincerity. Deeply spiritual, he would sometimes enter states of devotional absorption.

He was meticulous about worship and performed rituals only upon special requests.

In the 1970s — perhaps around October 1966 — he conducted a Durga Puja in Lumding, in the area known as Bose Basti. The householder, likely Rakhal Bose, worked as a clerk for a contractor. On his sincere request, Maharaj performed Durga Puja there.

From the left side, Haridas Roy (one of the chief disciples), Dandiswami Purnananda Tirtha Maharaj, Suprava Devi (Roy, Haridas Roy's wife), Bose Babu.🙏

He was the spiritual guru of my parents and often visited our maternal home. He frequently uttered names like “Tat Tvam Asi,” “Sharada,” and “Kalika.” When as small children we mispronounced “Kalike,” he corrected our Bengali pronunciation, saying gently, “not Kalike — say Kalika.”

He belonged to the ‘Tirtha’ sub-order among the Dashanami monks. Our own lineage (Bandyopadhyay, Banerjee) belongs to the Sama Veda branch, and once he remarked smilingly that both he and we followed the same Sama Veda. He seemed content and peaceful whenever he visited our home; our days were happy then.

According to Britannica, the Dashanami ascetics usually wear ochre robes, sit on tiger or leopard skins when available, apply three horizontal ash lines (tilaka) from cremation grounds on their foreheads and bodies, and wear 108-bead Rudraksha malas. They let their beards grow and either keep their hair loose or tied as a topknot.

"I also saw him sometimes with a topknot, sometimes with hair untied, also in clogs." Clogs are khorom; a wooden sandal or a sandal carvedfrom single block of wood. 

Once I asked him for that phota (tilak mark) in Bengali, and he smiled: “No, child, I must apply it myself — it contains ashes from the cremation ground; I can’t give it to you.” He spoke gently and naturally.

As small children of three or four, we called him Dadu (grandfather) and he used to laugh heartily. He wore Rudraksha beads, a reddish upper cloth (raktambara), and a lighter dhoti. He spoke fluent Bengali, and it is quite possible he originated from Bengal.

Dashanami Sampradaya and the term "Tirtha"

In the Dashanami Sampradaya, the term "Tirtha" refers to a specific lineage among the ten names. The traditional description of renunciants bearing the name Tirtha is that among the four titles (names) — Tirtha, Ashrama, Saraswati, and Bharati — roughly three-and-a-half of these are considered “Ekadandi” (one-staff) renunciates, while the remaining six are typically known as Gosvami or Gosai (non–Ekadandi). In other words, within the Tirtha lineage of the Dashanami tradition, most renunciants are Ekadandi, and according to tradition, only about three names (the trio of Tirtha, Ashrama, Saraswati, and Bharati as a portion) are associated with the Ekadandi practice; the rest are not.

Key points

Of the names Tirtha Ashrama Saraswati and Bharati, they are ordinarily associated with Ekadandi renunciates.

In traditional monasteries and akharas, the term 'Ekadandi' means they carry a single staff (one danda), which is a distinctive mark of renunciation.

The remaining six names (Giri, Puri, Ban, Aranya, Sagar, Parvat) are commonly referred to as Gosai or Nagas and are not Ekadandi.

Thus, renunciants bearing the name Tirtha are Ekadandi, and the total count of Ekadandi branches is roughly 3.5.

Generally, what are the characteristics of Dandis according to each monastery, who are their presiding deities, etc.?

Marks of Initiation (Vratabandha)

If his arm bore circular or linear burn-like marks, they could be from vratabandha — a rite involving branding with a hot iron ring during ascetic initiation, symbolizing strict discipline, renunciation, and deep spiritual commitment. This practice existed among some ascetic orders of Assam, Bengal, and Northeast India.

Final Journey and Samadhi

Maharaj passed away (deh-rak-kha) in 1981 near Singimari Tea Estate, close to Borpathar Railway Station in Golaghat district, Assam, where his samadhi (memorial shrine) still stands. He traveled widely on foot and by train — to Kolkata, Banaras, Prayag, Laxman Jhula, Chamba, Jwalamukhi, Dharamshala, Rishikesh, Har-ki-Pauri (he called it Haradwar), Sringeri, Alipurduar, Bongaigaon, Guwahati, Lamding, Swaroopathar, Borpathar, and sacred sites like Tawang and Parashuramkund in Arunachal Pradesh.

He was also connected with Pushkar Tirth and the Saraswati temple and ashram there. His memorial stands as a witness to the regional saint tradition, devotional community, and spiritual culture of the area — a sacred site for meditation and remembrance.

Singimari Tea Estate:

As confirmed by local records and the Wikipedia section on Borpathar, the region includes several plantations such as Pabhajan, Barpathar, Bhuyan, Dihghali, Rengmai, and Singimari Tea Estates.

Caution: With time, much of this has faded from memory. Anyone possessing authentic information about him is urged to share it.

Note: In later years, a pretender appeared in Assam misusing his name, whom devotees did not accept. This article—accompanied by his photograph shared from “Light and Shade Studio, Triveni”—was published to preserve the saint’s true memory, as the number of his disciples has dwindled and no explanation has been received from Triveni, Hooghly district, West Bengal.

Courtesy: My Mother (Maa) Dipti Banerjee, Lumding