Akshar Purushottam Upasana

Akshar Purushottam Upasana is the BAPS-practice of worshiping Swaminarayan as a supreme being along with Gunatitanand Swami as his ideal devotee.

To achieve this status, aspirants were instructed to associate with and serve Brahman[5] - often referred to as the Sant, Satpurush, or Sadhu who incarnated with God.

Applying Swaminarayan's philosophy regarding the five eternal entities, followers of Akshar Purushottam Upasana conclude that the only entity Swaminarayan could be discussing is Brahman, since Parabrahman is God Himself, and "Bhava, Brahma, and other deities" are classed as Ishwar.

[9] Followers of BAPS and Akshar Purushottam Upasana hold Gunatitanand Swami, a saint and paramhansa of Swaminarayan, to be the personified form of Brahman as discussed above.

In the context of Akshar Purushottam Upasana, every spiritual Guru in Swaminarayan's succession is believed the incarnation of Aksharbrahman in whom the Lord resides fully and eternally.