All mischief is destroyed and all human pursuits are fulfilled by associating with the bhaktas:

yathopaśrayamānasya bhagavantaṁ vibhāvasumśītaṁ bhayaṁ tamo’pyeti sādhūn saṁsevatas tathā
(Śrīmad Bhāgavata 11.26.31)

“Just as cold, fear and darkness are all destroyed when one takes shelter of the fire-god, similarly the darkness of fruitive activities, fear of material existence and obstacles in bhajana are destroyed when one takes shelter of the saints.”

In his commentary on this verse Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda has written:

svīyaudana siddhyartham upāśrayamāṇasya apyeti, tathaiva bhajana siddhyarthaṁ sādhūn saṁsevamānasya karmādi jāḍyaṁ bhajana vighnaśca.

“When one sits near the fire that cooks the rice, cold, fear and darkness are destroyed as a side effect. Similarly, when one associates with the saints for attaining bhajana siddhi and prema, the darkness of fruitive activities, fear of mundane existence and obstacles in bhajana are automatically destroyed.”

Association with the saints is more glorious than pilgrimages —
gaṅgādi puṇya tīrtheṣu yo naraḥ snātum icchatiyaḥ karoti satāṁ saṅgaṁ tayoḥ sat saṅgamo varaḥPadma Purāṇa

“Of the person who faithfully bathes in the Gaṅgā and the person who associates with the saints, the person who associates with the saints is the better.”

Association with the saints is the most auspicious activity —
yaḥ snātaḥ śānti sitayā sādhu saṅgati gaṅgayākiṁ tasya dānaiḥ kiṁ tīrthaiḥ kiṁ tapobhiḥ kim adhvaraiḥ

“What is the need for donations, pilgrimages, austerities or sacrifices for he who bathes in the white Gaṅgā of association with the saints?” (ibid.)

In the Vāśiṣṭha it is described that the company of saints brings the greatest good even in times of woe —śunyatā pūrṇatāmeti mṛtir apyamṛtāyateāpat sampad ivābhāti vidvajjana samāgame

“When the learned devotees come to the house, then the emptiness felt there due to the separation from friends is filled up, the dead attain immortality (they attain the lotus feet of the Lord), and āpada (disaster) turns into mahā sampad (a great treasure).”

The bliss of the company of a devotee makes one forget all bodily conditions —
te na smarantyatitarāṁ priyam īśa martyaṁye cānvadaṁ suta suhṛd gṛha vitta dārāḥye tvabja-nābha bhavadīya padāravindasaugandhya lubdha hṛdayeṣu kṛta prasaṅgāḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavata 4.9.12)

“O lotus-naveled Lord! Those who associate with the devotees whose hearts are greedy after the scent of Your lotus feet, forget all about their beloved human body, and all that is connected with it, such as home, wealth, friends, children and wife.”

The company of devotees delights the whole world —
rasāyanamayī śītā paramānanda dāyinīnānandayati kaṁ nāma vaiṣṇavāśraya candrikā   (Padma Purāṇa)

“Who will not be pleased by the moonrays of the shelter of the Vaiṣṇavas, that destroys all disease and affliction and that gives topmost bliss?”

The company of the devotees is the essence of everything, as the Bṛhan Nāradīya says:
asāra bhūte saṁsāre sāram etad ajātmajabhagavad bhakta saṅgo hi hari bhaktiṁ samicchatām

“O Son of Brahmā! The best practice for those in this worthless material world who desire Hari-bhakti is to associate with the Lord’s devotees.”

The only way to relish the nectarean topics of the Lord is by associating with the Lord’s devotees —yatra bhāgavatā rājan sādhavo viśadāśayāḥbhagavad guṇānukathana śravaṇa vyagra cetasaḥtasmin mahan mukharitā madhubhic caritrapīyūṣa śeṣa saritaḥ paritaḥ sravantitā ye pibantyavitṛṣo nṛpa gāḍha karṇaistān na spṛśantyaśana tṛṅ-bhaya śoka mohāḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavata 4.29.40-41)

Śrī Nārada told Mahārāja Prācīnabarhi: “O King! Wherever the saintly devotees of the Lord, who only have sacred aspirations and who are eager to hear the constant glorification of the Lord’s attributes reside, a river of the essence of nectar in the form of topics of Lord Madhusūdana, flows in all four directions, as it emanates from their mouths. Those who diligently drink that nectar of topics of the Lord through the cups of their ears will not be suffering from hunger, thirst, fear, lamentation or illusion anymore.”

In his commentary on this verse Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmīpāda has written — sat saṅgamantareṇa svayam eva kathā cintanādāv ālasyādinā rasāveśābhāvataḥ kṣut pipāsādyabhibhūtasya bhaktyasambhavād avaśyaṁ sat saṅgo vidheyaḥ tataś ca bhagavat kathāmṛta rasa pānādi rūpā bhaktiḥ svataḥ sampadyata eveti bhāvaḥ –

“When one discusses or meditates on Hari Kathā just on one’s own, without the company of the saints, then fatigue will come in one’s meditation, and the resulting lack of taste will cause feelings of hunger and thirst and so on. Thus, a human being will not be able to relish the mellows of bhakti. It is therefore absolutely essential to associate with the devotees. In the company of the great devotees, bhakti, in the form of drinking the nectar of Bhagavat-kathā, will automatically be accomplished.”

This is because bhakti is automatically attained in the company of the bhaktas. It is said in the Bṛhan Nāradīya Purāṇa —bhaktis tu bhagavad bhakta saṅgena parijāyatesat saṅga prāpyate puṁbhiḥ sukṛtaiḥ pūrva sañcitaiḥ

“When one has association with the devotees of the Lord, devotion to the Lord will awaken. A person who has previously collected a lot of pious merit will attain the company of saintly devotees.”

Association with the devotees subdues the Lord, as is explained in Śrīmad Bhāgavata (11.12.1-2):

athaitat parama guhyaṁ śṛṇvato yadunandanasugopyam api vakṣyāmi tvaṁ me bhṛtyaḥ suḥrt sakhāna rodhayati māṁ yogo na saṅkhyaṁ dharma eva vāna svādhyāyas tapas tyāgo neṣṭāpūrtaṁ na dakṣiṇāvratāni yajñaśchandāṁsi tīrthāni niyamā yamāḥyathāvarundhe sat saṅgaḥ sarva saṅgāpaho hi mām

The Lord told Śrī Uddhava: “O Yadunandana! Listen to this supreme secret. Since you are My servant, heart’s friend and companion, I will tell you a very confidential thing — eightfold yoga, discriminative sāṅhkya-philosophy, virtues like non-violence and adherence to the caste and āśrama system, study of the Vedas, penance, sannyāsa, agniṣṭoma and other sacrifices, construction of wells and gardens, charity, following vows like Ekādaśī, worship of the demigods, knowing the secrets of mantras, serving the holy places of pilgrimage, control of the inner (mind) and outer senses, do not please and subdue Me as much as do the company of the saints, that removes all material attachments (of the aspirants that associate with them).”

This is because the association with the Lord’s devotees is itself the highest human pursuit:

tulayāma lavenāpi na svargaṁ na punarbhavambhagavat saṅgi saṅgasya martyānāṁ kim utāśiṣaḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavata 1.18.13)

Śaunaka and the other ṛṣis told Śrī Sūta Muni: “O Sūta! We do not compare even a moments company of the great devotees with heavenly pleasures or even liberation, what to speak of temporary blessings for which human beings are praying?”

Therefore Śrīmad Bhāgavata said:

ayaṁ hi paramo lābho nṛṇāṁ sādhu samāgamaḥ
(12.10.7).

“The greatest gain of a human being is the company of the saints.”

From the scriptures and the great saints, we learn that prema and the service of the lotus feet of the Lord are the greatest gain one can make in the world. If the association of the saints is the means of attaining prema, then why is the association with sādhus called the highest gain here? Such questions are natural. The answer is that association is a devotional practice; bhakti itself is sādhu saṅga and the fruit of bhakti is also sādhu saṅga. Prema is the only thing that can subdue Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and if sādhu saṅga subdues Śrī Kṛṣṇa, then we can understand that there is absolutely no difference between the cause – sādhu saṅga, and the effect – prema. kārya kāraṇayor abhedāt.

As a result of the excellent company of saintly devotees, a human being can easily attain love for the lotus feet of the Lord, and become blessed —
satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya saṁvidobhavanti hṛt karṇa rasāyanāḥ kathāḥtajjoṣanād āśvapavarga vartmaniśraddhā rati bhaktir anukramiṣyati
(Śrīmad Bhāgavata 3.25.25)

Lord Śrī Kapila-deva told His mother Devahūti: “O Mother! When one has the excellent association with the sādhus, then topics about My glories arise that serve as an elixir to both the ears and the heart. By lovingly enjoying these topics, that form the road to liberation, gradually faith, attachment and love for Me will develop.”

Here, the best way of associating with the sādhus is (understood to be) with full attention of body, mind and words. In other words, this means serving the sādhus with the body, heeding their instructions and having faith in them with the mind, and glorifying them and preaching their message with one’s words. Their example must be followed with body, mind and words and bhajana must be performed according to their instructions. This is the proper form of sat saṅga, and not just be going there to see them or to be with them. After attaining bhakti one must associate with the saints in order to relish the flavours of bhakti.

In Śrī Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu, Śrīmat Rūpa Gosvāmī has written —
sajātiyāśaye snigdhe sādhau saṅgaḥ svato vareśrīmad bhāgavatārthānām āsvādo rasikaiḥ saha (1.2.91)

“One should relish the meaning of Śrīmad Bhāgavata with rasika devotees that are like-minded, saintly and more advanced than one self.”

Because there are different kinds of bhakti sādhanā, the sādhaka should associate with devotees that aspire for the same kind of bhajana. These devotees must be more advanced and realised than oneself and must be saintly in the sense that they are very merciful and tender by nature.

Just as through the adjective ‘sajātīyāśaya’, it is shown that by associating with such sādhu bhaktas one can nicely relish bhakti rasa, similarly through the adjective ‘svato vara’ it is shown that in the company of such mahā bhāgavatas, bhakti rasa is awakened.

In other words, by seeing and touching such great souls and by conversing with them about the Lord, the rati within the heart of the sādhaka swiftly culminates into rasa and this makes everything relishable.

–  Srila Ananta das Babaji, Sri Bhakta Tattva Vijnana

[Translated by my dear friend Advaita das]