[3][4] Janardan Swami was born into a Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmin, Deshpande family at Chalisgaon, Maharashtra.
[5] His parents reportedly subscribed to the Asvalayana tradition and were probably adherents of the school of thought initiated by the 8th-century philosopher Adi Shankaracharya.
[6] He was appointed as Killedar or governor of the fort at Daulatabad (previously Devagiri) by its contemporary Muslim occupants.
[7][8] According to legend, Dattatreya once conversed with Janardan Swami inside a cave within the fort perimeters at Daulatbad.
Narsimha Saraswati was an earlier saint and spiritual master and is widely considered to be the second incarnation of Dattatreya.