वैष्णवं ज्ञानवक्तारं यो विद्याद्विष्णुवद् गुरुम् ।
पूजयेद्वाङ्मनःकायैः स शास्त्रज्ञः स वैष्णवः ॥
श्लोकपादस्य वक्तापि यः पूज्यः स सदैव हि ।
किं पुनर्भगवद्विष्णोः स्वरूपं वितनोति यः ॥
vaiṣṇavaṁ jñāna-vaktāraṁ yo vidyād viṣṇuvad gurum |
pūjayed vāṅ-manaḥ-kāyaiḥ sa śāstra-jñaḥ sa vaiṣṇavaḥ ||
śloka-pādasya vaktāpi yaḥ pūjyaḥ sa sadaiva hi |
kiṁ punar bhagavad-viṣṇoḥ svarūpaṁ vitanoti yaḥ ||
(Nārada Pañcarātra; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.411–412; Bhakti Sandarbha: 237)
“One who can recognize a Vaiṣṇava guru and teacher of knowledge to be like Viṣṇu and worship him with one’s speech, mind, and body is a knower of śāstra and a Vaiṣṇava. Even one who is a teacher of quarter of a verse is certainly always worshippable, so how much more so is one who reveals the nature of Bhagavān Viṣṇu!”