Swami Shivom Tirth Maharaj (15 January 1924–2008) was a noted guru of the Tirtha lineage of
Siddha Yoga
Siddha Yoga is a spiritual path founded by Swami Muktananda (1908–1982). According to its literature, the Siddha Yoga tradition is "based mainly on eastern philosophies" and "draws many of its teachings from the Indian yogic texts of Vedanta a ...
. Born in a small village in Punjabi Gujrat in present-day
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, his name before he entered the life of renunciation ''(
sannyas
''Sannyasa'' (), sometimes spelled ''sanyasa'', is the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' ashramas'', the first three being ''brahmacharya'' (celibate student), ''grihastha'' (householder) and '' vanaprastha' ...
)'' was Om Prakash.
He completed his undergraduate degree at Lahore and lived a householder's life for many years, relocating on the Indian side of the border with his wife and family at the time of independence and partition in 1947. After coming in contact with Swami Vishnu Tirtha he entered the path of spirituality, living with the guru as a disciple. Initially he was assigned everyday work in the
Ashram
An ashram (, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions, not including Buddhism.
Etymology
The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (< brahmachari), he took the name Bramchari Shivom Prakash.
Brahmchari Shivom Prakash took formal
sannyas
''Sannyasa'' (), sometimes spelled ''sanyasa'', is the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' ashramas'', the first three being ''brahmacharya'' (celibate student), ''grihastha'' (householder) and '' vanaprastha' ...
diksha
Diksha (Sanskrit: दीक्षा, IAST: dīkṣā) also spelled diksa, deeksha or deeksa in common usage, translated as a "preparation or consecration for a religious ceremony", is giving of a mantra or an initiation by the guru (in Guru–s ...
from Swami Narayan Tirtha of Kashi in 1963, becoming Swami Shivom Tirtha. After that he took care of the Yog Shri Peeth Ashram in Rishikesh and Narayan Kuti Ashram in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh.
In his later years Swami Shivom Tirtha gave up his public life, left the ashram and started living in an isolated place near Indore, with two celibate disciples, writing many books. He gave up his earthly body on 6 April 2008 at Coimbtore: his body being committed to the Ganges at Rishikesh.Biographical information from /ref>