Shastriji Maharaj was the 3rd spiritual successor to Bhagwan Swaminarayan after Gunatitanand Swami and Bhagatji Maharaj. Shastriji Maharaj’s birth name was Dungar Bhakta. He was born into a satsangi family on Vasant Panchmi (a day marked in India as the start of Spring) in January 1865; he shares the same birthday as Brahmanand Swami and Nishkulanand Swami (senior paramhansa of Shreeji Maharaj). Dungar Bhakta was born in a village called Mahelav, which is close to Vidhyanagar.