śrī haridās śāstrī was born in 1918 in ropa, west bengal to śrīmatī suśīlā devī and śrī abhayacaraṇa cattopādhyāya. his childhood name was phaṇindra nāth. in 1933, he journeyed to mathura, where he lived under the care of pandita bābā śrī rāma kṛṣṇadāsaji.