Śrī Śrīla Shyām Dās Bābā Mahārāj
We have heard from our guruvarga that even during the prakaṭa-līlā (manifesting līlā) of Śrīla Prabhupāda, some left his anugatya, some of them developed loose character, and again some of them fell into worldly entanglements, etc., etc. But surely that does not mean that The Prabhupāda was weak. One may think that– “In the presence of The Prabhupāda how can one fall down?” Even in the presence of the sun-god a blind man can see nothing. The doctor cannot help a patient if the medicine is refused by the patient.
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda once gave the example of a man fallen into a well. A rope was provided down into the well for him to catch and come out. The rope was strong enough and also the rescue team was capable, but if the man in the well is not going to grasp the rope firmly, how can he be lifted out? Can we blame the rope? Can we accuse the rescue team?
The descending mercy of Guru-Vaiṣṇava is like that strong rope — empowered by the Supreme Lord Himself, fully capable of rescuing all those bonded souls who are already fallen into the well of saṁsāra.
In this way we can solemnly say that the fall-down of a disciple can never imply that a Sad Guru is incapable to deliver that bonded soul, rather this can prove the disciple is not at all sincere having no saranagati. Guru-Vaiṣṇava can extend their merciful hand to any fallen soul to give valuable instruction to bestow divine kripa on that fallen soul. So anyway any bonded soul never like to use free will power properly, and at the same time Guru-Vaiṣṇava also never like to interfere with the free will given to a jīva by the Supreme Lord. Bhakti can never come inside anybody by the application of external force, because this is the natural instinct of any jīva which the following sloka can prove—
matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā
mitho ’bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām
adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ
punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (ŚB 7.5.30)
Prahlāda Mahārāja replied: Because of their uncontrolled senses, those people who are too much addicted to materialistic life can allow them towards hellish condition to chew the same thing (I mean the same material enjoyment) which has already been chewed. They can never develop any inclination unto the Lotus feet of Sri Kṛṣṇa either by the instructions of others or by their own efforts, or by the combination of both.
Therefore, instead of putting a question about the power of any elevated ācārya, we should always question our own degree of śaraṇāgati. Everything depends upon our niṣkapaṭa-bhāva. There is one proverb that goes — “God helps those who help themselves first.”