You understand essence of Bhagavatam through the a realized spiritual master.

 “You have dared criticize Śrīdhara Svāmī, and you have begun your own commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, not accepting his authority. That is your false pride.
“Śrīdhara Svāmī is the spiritual master of the entire world because by his mercy we can understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. I therefore accept him as a spiritual master. Caitanya Caritamrita Antya 7. 132

Comment Srila Gaurahari Das : According to Lord Caitanya proof that one is a bonafide Spiritual Master, is that when you hear from them the bhagavata or knowledge about the absolute truth, your heart begins to understand the essence of truth in wonderful enlivening way that you couldn't by your own independent studies. This essential truth also cannot be understood by faith in the insufficient guidence of those alledged authorities who have not yet attained the pure devotional mercy of God or the real trancendentaly empowered devotee of Lord Caitanya. Those interested in speculating and putting forth their own explanations with the motive to boost their legacies out of desire for self importance, often artificially act as spiritual masters or even sampradaya Acharyas. The fruit of pure ecstatic devotion is not realized by faith in that association. 

Govinda Lilamrita 1.11

Seeing the night about to end, Vrnda-devi ordered the obedient birds of Vraja to awaken Sri Sri Radha and Krsna. 12- The birds were eager to render some service. Obeying vrnda-devi's order they happily warbled throughout that pastime-grove in order to awaken the Divine Couple. Govinda Lilamrita 1.11

Purport Srila Gaurahari Das: When the night of ignorance of the Absolute Truth is destined to end, by the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, The divine couple send their confidential servants to awaken them in the hearts of the still sleeping world. These confidential servants or Spiritual Masters have at first secretly been awakened and educated about the eternal truth Love of God, Love of Krishna, just like when Madhavendra Puris love of Krishna was awakened in secret: Then he was ordered by Krishna in a dream, due to the power of that ecstatic love, to engage others like the fortunate birds who take refuge in a branch of a fruitful   tree of love of Krishna become naturally eager to render some pure-hearted service of waking up the divine couple or love of God in the hearts of the sleeping world. This is a confidential deeply esoteric example of how the parampara system works following in the footsteps of the revealed scriptures. 

The Real Path is Real Knowledge gained by hearing from Real Self-Realized Living Guru

Comment: If we can learn to give attention to Bagavan, Krishna will reciprocate a million times.

 Gaurahari Das Quotes & comments:
To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love( ecstatic) , I give the understanding ( real knowledge) by which they can come to Me. BG 10.10

Following the line of this verse it makes sense to approach the more rare intimate associates of Lord Caitanya to attain the right transcendental knowledge or understanding. This Gita verse says that they have the right understanding and others who have not realized Krishna by the awakening of their dormant love of God or loving ecstatic worship, don't have such a clear understanding of the absolute truth.

The million times greater reciprocation is really when you give attention to Bhagavan through the real book Bhagavata(scriptures) spoken by living devotionally empowered person(empowered Spiritual Master) . They deliver the clear confidential conclusions or conceptions in the scriptures known by Krishna and also understood by His intimate associates. Then in turn these scriptures can be understood by those who sincerely hear from them these conclusions. Like the Gita verse indirectly indicates without pure love of God awakened one cannot understand confidential contents in the treasure chest of these choice verses that are very dear to Krishna and his devotees. Drinking the nectar of these conclusions through the ear will very quickly purify and clear the channel for the awakening of love of God. Then they can also become transcendentally related to the Supreme Lord through the bond of the awakening of ecstatic devotion.

How do we actually attain Premabhakti or are saved by the Spiritual Master?

Comment: Just reading through the comments, it seems there are some misconceptions. In regard to disciples being "saved" by the guru, what actually happens is that the guru gives instructions which IF the disciples follow carefully, can bring the disciples to the point of prema. That's his mercy, and that's how one is saved. T

Simply hearing submissively will free one’s heart from all the faults of ignorance, and thus one will achieve deep love for Kṛṣṇa. This is the path of peace.

Srila Gaurahari Das comment:
"If one patiently hears about the glories of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrī Advaita Prabhu — and Their devotees, devotional activities, names and fame, along with the mellows of Their transcendental loving exchanges — one will learn the essence of the Absolute Truth".  CC Adi lila chapter 108-109

This is a great comment you made and discussion point! How are we saved and obtain prema-bhakti or devotion to Krishna? Are we saved by the gurus instructions and the disciples following those instructions or is another factor worth undertanding?  I want to call your attention to the above quoted verse. Following instructions of Guru is surely part of it process yet the other part, the main part, is in the caitantya caritamrita chapter one on the spiritual master. To hear the transcendental philosophy and transcendental lila explained by the sound vibration of a bonafide spiritual master, who has the qualification that he or she has prema bhakti taste and has deep realization about the lila of Gaura/Krishna. Maharaja Pariksht attained the kingdom of God simply by attentively hearing the lila from a self realized soul and asking questions about it. If one would follow that instruction to hear the transcendental sound vibration of Krishnas Names, Qualities and Pastimes from one who has developed deep ecstatic love of God  then that would be the essence of a worthy instruction to follow...  This is backed up by pure clear conception taught by the above quoted  verse. One attains the fruit of love of God just by following the book bhagavatas instruction to hear the lila from a living devotee who has realized Krishna. I hope you like this contribution here to the discussion