मुमुक्षुप्रभृतीनां ज्ञानिपूजैव मुख्या, पुरुषान्तरपूजा तु तदभाव एव, तथा प्रेमभक्तिकामानां प्रेमभक्तपूजा ज्ञेया । ततः प्रेमभक्तानामपि यच्चित्तस्य परमाश्रयरूपं, तदभिव्यक्तेः सुतरामेवार्चाया आधिक्यमपि । … तस्मादर्चाया आधिक्यमेव हि स्थितम्।
mumukṣu-prabhṛtīnāṁ jñāni-pūjaiva mukhyā, puruṣāntara-pūjā tu tad-abhāva eva, tathā prema-bhakti-kāmānāṁ prema-bhakta-pūjā jñeyā | tataḥ prema-bhaktānām api yac cittasya paramāśraya-rūpaṁ, tad-abhivyakteḥ sutarām evārcāyā ādhikyam api | … tasmād arcāyā ādhikyam eva hi sthitam |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 294)
“For seekers of liberation and others, worship of the jñānī is primary [i.e., is the primary existential seat of Bhagavān to be worshiped], and worship of other living beings is only in his absence [i.e., is only to be performed when a jñānī is not available]. Similarly, for those who desire prema-bhakti, worship of a prema-bhakta is to be understood [as the primary existential seat of Bhagavān to be worshiped]. The Deity (Arcā) is a manifestation of [Śrī Bhagavān,] he whose nature is that of the supreme shelter of the hearts of even prema-bhaktas, and thus is even more [worshipable] than them [i.e., that prema-bhaktas]. … Therefore, definitive superiority of the Deity [as the greatest object of worship and existential seat of Bhagavān] is established.”