bhaktis tu bhagavad-bhakta-sangena parijayate
sat-sangah prapyate pumbhih sukrtaih purva-sancitaih (Brhan-Naradiya-Purana 4.33)
Awakening of bhakti takes place when one associates with devotees of Sri Bhagavan. Association with suddha-bhaktas or pure devotees is attained only by the accumulation of transcendental pious activities performed over many lifetimes.
We must be very careful about sat sanga because in the name of sat sanga and Harikatha so much cheating business going on all around the world, where to go, where not to go, common people cannot understand. Without perfect sincerity and submission we cannot expect any divine help to come in our life. So we must be very careful about getting genuine sat sanga which can give us success in our Bhajan. Also the following sloka by Shankaracharya can be considered to understand the gravity of sat sanga. From Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita we can find that sat sanga can give us the total benefit which we can expect in our Bhajan. Even Krsna prema the unique treasure is also possible to get by sat sanga.
sādhu-saṅga’, ‘sādhu-saṅga’—sarva-śāstre kaya
lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya (CC Madhya 22.54)
“Association with devotees is recommended by all the śāstras because by even a moment of such association one can receive the seed for all perfection.”
Specially we should discuss the following sloka compiled by Srila Rupa Gosvami in Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu
“atha sa-jātīyāśaya-snigdha-śrī-bhagavad-bhakta-saṅgo yathā prathame (1.18.13)
Though it is approved that we can go for sadhu sanga ( genuine ) from any of the four approved authentic sampradayas, still Srila Rupa Gosvamipad going to advise us that to get perfect improvement in our Bhajan we must get perfect sadhu sanga from our own Sampradaya, who is not too high or not too low in standard of Bhajan but must be just matching for our standard (or the Platform in which we are at present) otherwise there is every possibility to develop aparadha, which can put us away from Bhajan.
Some time some devotees they used to ask Srila Prabhupad that –‘ Can we go to take darshan of Vamis das Babji Maharaja? ‘ Then usually Srila Prabhupada used to say –‘ No-not at all because you cannot understand his activities, so you can make aparadha and can fall down.`
Gaura Hari Haribol