We make attempts to pass this remark whether Shyam Sundar is hard-hearted, depending on the selfishness of our devotion and in the fulfillments of our desires. When our desires are not fulfilled, then what do we say? What would we say? “Oh, He's so hard-hearted! His heart never melts. I've been crying and crying! For what?” Well, you won't tell that. But it's a secret that we all have some kind of demand, selfishness, desire, whatever. And when our desires are satisfied, “Oh, you know, my God, my Guru! Oh, so tender-hearted, so soft-hearted! I just didn't even ask for anything. Actually, I didn't even think seriously about it. A thought just passed by and, oh, his grace is immense!”
So this particular path is so important, it takes us so deep into understanding the true, pure philosophy about love, about pure love. The very deep philosophy about unconditional love.
So these two Nitya Siddha Gopis, they are eternally God-realized. One is Vedricha Gopi and she is the one who is saying that Shyam Sundar is hard-hearted, whilst Golok Gopi is saying that He is so soft, so tender in heart. Why the difference of this opinion? Just understand it so that when we practice devotion, we can remind ourselves of this philosophy. See, there are different levels and different classes of devotion, different limits of bhakti. Depending on the different limits of our bhakti, of our devotion, or different classes of our devotion, a different level of ras is received and a different level of happiness is received.
Even in the material world, with our material relationships, be it with the spouse, be it with the siblings, be it with the parents, be it any relationship there are different, different levels, isn't it, or limits of our relationship. What we call love. It's not love. It's all lust, but still just to make you understand, I'll just use the word love because that's what you commonly call, but it's all lust as we know. But in that relationship, let's say, sometimes we have a lot more affection towards someone, other times a lot less with different people, there’s a different amount of our love, and then fluctuating all the time as well.
Sometimes the degree and the temperature of that love is so high, and other times so low. We all know about this. I don't have to talk much about it. We all live in this world and deal with it all the time. So there are ups and downs.
Likewise, we have different levels, different limits, different classes in the Divine phenomenon as well. Of course, with the Divine beloved it's nothing like the material relations of ours, which are all based on only selfish lust, etc., but this Divine bliss, Divine happiness, that one attains depends on the class, on the limit of the devotion.
