A bona fide spiritual master is in the disciplic succession from time eternal, and he does not deviate at all from the instructions of the Supreme Lord as they were imparted millions of years ago to the sun-god, from whom the instructions of Bhagavad-gita have come down to the earthly kingdom. (Bhagavad Gita 4.42) The spiritual master must never be carried away by an accumulation of wealth or a large number of followers. A bona fide spiritual master will never become like that. But sometimes, if a spiritual master is not properly authorized and only on his own initiative becomes a spiritual master, he may be carried away by an accumulation of wealth and large numbers of disciples.
His is not a very high grade of devotional service. If a person is carried away by such achievements, then his devotional service becomes slackened. One should therefore strictly adhere to the principles of disciplic succession. (Nectar of Devotion) balavān indriya-grāmo vidvāṁsam api karṣati (SB 9.19.17). It is said that the senses are so mad and strong that they can bewilder even the most sensible and learned man. Therefore it is advised that one should not indulge in living alone even with one’s mother, sister or daughter.
Vidvāṁsam api karṣati means that even the most learned also become victims of the sensuous urge. Maitreya hesitated to state this anomaly on the part of Brahma, who was sexually inclined to his own daughter, but still he mentioned it because sometimes it so happens, and the living example is Brahma himself, although he is the primeval living being and the most learned within the whole universe. If Brahma could be a victim of the sexual urge, then what of others, who are prone to so many mundane frailties? This extraordinary immortality on the part of Brahma was heard to have occurred in some particular kalpa, but it could not have happened in the kalpa in which Brahma heard directly from the Lord the four essential verses of Srimad-Bhägavatam because the Lord blessed Brahma, after giving him lessons on the Bhagavatam, that he would never be bewildered in any kalpa whatsoever. This indicates that before the hearing of Srimad- Bhägavatam he might have fallen a victim to such sensuality, but after hearing Srimad- Bhägavatam directly from the Lord, there was no possibility of such failures. (SB 3.12.28 purport)
Who can fall?
The third-class person in Krishna consciousness may fall down, but when one is in the second class he does not fall down, and for the first-class person in Krishna consciousness there is no chance of falling down. (BG 9.3 purport) There was one puppet show he got chastised for, about Narada Muni falling down to householder life. It was one of those stories that had been circulating. When Prabhupada heard about it, he was furious. Vishnujana told me about that afterwards. He was in ecstasy when he told me. Prabhupada said, “Narada Muni cannot fall down. This is a bogus story. Where does it come from? We must be careful that these speculative ideas don’t infiltrate our society.” Vishnujana saw Prabhupada’s mercy working in that chastisement. He loved Prabhupada very dearly. (Radha Damodara Vilas I by Vayasaki Dasa)