kk alk ot ▁for ▁close ▁to ▁ 2 2 ▁years . ▁His ▁parent age ▁and ▁orig ins ▁remain ▁obsc ure . ▁Some ▁other ▁Indian ▁sain ts ▁and ▁spiritual ▁figures ▁including ▁S ai ▁B aba ▁of ▁Sh ird i ▁and ▁G aj an an ▁Mah ar aj ▁of ▁She ga on ▁also ▁have ▁similarly ▁unknown ▁orig ins . ▁According ▁to ▁legend , ▁once ▁when ▁a ▁dis ci ple ▁asked ▁Sw ami ▁a ▁question ▁of ▁his ▁birth , ▁Sw ami ▁respond ed ▁that ▁he ▁had ▁origin ated ▁from ▁a ▁b any an ▁tree ▁( v ata - v rik sha ▁in ▁Mar ath i ). ▁On ▁another ▁occasion , ▁Sw ami ▁had ▁said ▁that ▁his ▁earlier ▁name ▁was ▁Nr us im ha ▁B han . ▁ ▁Leg end ▁ ▁Sw ami ▁Sam arth ▁is ▁widely ▁considered ▁to ▁be ▁the ▁fourth ▁( third ▁in ▁physical ▁form ) ▁inc arn ation ▁of ▁D att atre ya , ▁an ▁Indian ▁mon k , ▁myst ic ▁and ▁H indu ▁de ity . ▁He ▁is ▁also ▁believed ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁re inc arn ation ▁of ▁Nar as im ha ▁Sar as w ati , ▁another ▁earlier ▁spiritual ▁master ▁of ▁the ▁D att atre ya ▁sect . ▁ ▁Life ▁ ▁According ▁to ▁Sw ami ▁Sam arth ▁himself , ▁he ▁had ▁originally ▁appeared ▁in ▁the ▁K ard ali ▁for ests ▁near ▁S ris ail am , ▁a ▁H indu ▁holy ▁town ▁in ▁present - day ▁And h ra ▁Pr adesh . ▁He ▁might ▁have ▁moved ▁through ▁China , ▁Tib et ▁and ▁Nep