स वै प्रियतमश्चात्मा यतो न भयमण्वपि ।
इति वेद स वै विद्वान्यो विद्वान्स गुरुर्हरि: ॥
sa vai priyatamaś cātmā yato na bhayam aṇv api |
iti veda sa vai vidvān yo vidvān sa gurur hariḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 4.29.51; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 202)
“He [i.e., Hari] is indeed the dearmost Self (Ātmā), as from him [i.e., as from bhajana to him] not even a trace of fear arises [i.e., as it does from bhajana to other devatās]. One who knows this is actually knowledgeable, and one who is knowledgeable is guru and Hari [i.e., one who has proper knowledge of Hari is a guru who is worthy of being taken shelter of and is worthy of worship like that offered to Hari].”