69-03Regarding your question about Lord Siva and Thakura Haridasa, and their different response to sexual agitation: This does not mean that Lord Siva has become degraded from the devotional platform. A devotee even if he is sometimes found that he is attracted by sex life, that does not mean he is degraded. That is by chance. Because Lord Siva is grhastha, so by his past habits if he appeared to have been attracted by sex life that does not mean he has been degraded from his position. You should never think of any devotee like that. There are many such stories also, but such apparent falling is without any influence to very, very advanced devotees. A neophyte should always be careful. One should not discuss about such great devotees' apparent fall-down. Just like one should not discuss about the sun who evaporates urine from the earth; is possible for the sun to do it, and still remain the sun, but for ordinary man if he lives in a filthy place he will be infected. So Lord Siva or Brahma are highly elevated devotees and we should not try to criticize about their behavior even though it appears against the rules. These things a very nicely explained in the Srimad-Bhagavatam in course of discussion between Maharaja Pariksit and Sukadeva Goswami in the tenth canto
(SPL to Himavati, 23rd March, 1969)