Question: Srila Prabhupada was a pure devotee and a strong guru, yet we see that he accepted both strong and weak disciples. Was that a kind of lila?
Answer by Romapada Swami: Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur also had both weak and strong disciples. Both he and Srila Prabhupada were very compassionate and wanted to extend the mercy of Lord Caitanya to whoever was willing to take it. Anyone who came forward to give up their sinful life and take up a life of devotion to Krishna, by following the four regulative principles and chanting Hare Krishna, anyone who demonstrated their sincerity in this way for a fixed period of time – both Srila Prabhupada and his guru maharaja accepted them as disciples. Those disciples who continued to strictly and faithfully adhere to instructions remained strong, but those who wavered due to some weakness of heart were not so strong, and gradually faded in their spiritual standing.
Thus, it was their compassion that compelled them to give others this chance to improve themselves, including by offering harinama diksa.
