On January 31, 1865 (Vasant Panchmi, Maha suda 5), Shastriji Maharaj was born with the name Dungar Bhagat in the town of Mahelav. In March 1866 (Chaitra) Gunatitanand Swami visited Mahelav, blessed Dungar Bhagat, and revealed to those present the child's great destiny. Young Dungar Bhagat was eager to serve Vignananand Swami (who served Lord Swaminarayan) of the Surat temple. At Vadtal on November 29, 1882 (Kartik vada 5), Dungar Bhagat was given the name Yagnapurushdas Swami by Acharya Viharilalji Maharaj, and he joined the service of Vignananand Swami. During a festival in Surat (the moorti-pratishthaa of Ghanshyam Maharaj) in March 1883, Yagnapurushdas Swami met Pragji Bhakta (Bhagatji Maharaj) for the first time. Bhagatji Maharaj discoursed about Lord Swaminarayan as God and Gunatitanand Swami as Mool Akshar. After some time, Vignananand Swami passed away. Yagnapurushdas Swami then went to Vadtal where he also kept the association of Vignandas, a disciple of Bhagatji Maharaj. Yagnapurushdas Swami also met Jaga Swami in Vadtal in 1887. Bhagatji Maharaj instructed Yagnapurush Swami to go to Rajkot to further his Sanskrit studies so that he could be in association with Jaga Swami (who was in Junagadh). Before Bhagatji Maharaj passed away in 1897, and Jaga Swami (with Shastriji Maharj at his side) in 1901, they blessed Shastriji Maharaj to spread the doctrine of Akshar-Purushottam. Supported by Shastriji Maharaj, a member of the Dharmakul family, Kunjvihariprasadji, installed the images of Akshar-Purushottam Maharaj in the side shrine of a temple in Vadhavan in 1905 (Vasant Panchmi, Maha suda 5). On November 13, 1905 (Kartik vada 1), Krishnaji Ada blessed Shastriji Maharaj to spread the Akshar-Purushottam doctrine. (Krishnaji Ada passed away in 1913 with Shastriji Maharaj and Yogi Bapa at his side.) In the face of great hardship, Shastriji Maharaj spread the Akshar-Purushottam doctrine. With the first one inaugurated in Bochasan in June 5, 1907 (Vaishakh vada 10), a total of five awe-inspiring Akshar-Purushottam temples were built. (Yogi Bapa later consecrated Akshar-Purushottam temples in Ahmedabad and Bhadra.) Shastriji Maharaj left his physical body on May 10, 1951 (Vaishakh suda 4).