Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, PhD was raised in a traditional American family. After graduating from Stanford University, while completing her PhD in psychology, she journeyed to India on what she thought would only be a short visit. A deep spiritual experience transformed her life and she has been living in Rishikesh, India at Parmarth Niketan for over twenty years.
She was initiated into the order of sanyas by her Guru, Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, the President of Parmarth Niketan, in 2000, marking her pledge to a life of service, renunciation, purity and deovtion.
She is the President of Divine Shakti Foundation, a charitable organization that provides free education, training and empowerment to impoverished women and girls. Sadhviji gives discourses and question-answer sessions, teaches meditation, and oversees a vast array of humanitarian programs being run at the ashram. She also speaks to audiences across the world on spirituality and Indian culture.
