So Advaita is old too, isn't he (Haridasa should be a old man)? And Nivas (Srinivas)

Expressions researched:
"And Nivas" |"So Advaita is old too, isn't he"

1967 Conversations and Morning Walks

Advaita is old... He is not so old. He is middle-aged man.

Discourse on Lord Caitanya Play Between Srila Prabhupada and Hayagriva -- April 5-6, 1967, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: Fourth scene is lunar eclipse. You'll have to arrange a scene that just in the evening there is appearance of the full moon on the side of the Ganges, and people are taking bath half in the water and half above the water, and they're all chanting, this same scene, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa," with mṛdaṅga and . . . yes.

So somebody comes, Advaita. Advaita comes in the scene to take bath in the Ganges and begins to dance. "Oh, my mission is now fulfilled! My mission is now fulfilled!" He'll talk. He was very sorry to see the condition of the people that "Everyone is engaged simply for material sense gratification.

Nobody is engaged in love of Godhead." So he wanted to rectify their behavior, but he thought that "I am ordinary man. What can I do? If Kṛṣṇa Himself comes, then He can do it." Therefore he worshiped Kṛṣṇa, and he simply offered Ganges water and tulasī leaf.

In this way Kṛṣṇa has taken His incarnation as Lord Caitanya. So he has understood now at this moment Lord Caitanya is now taken His appearance. So he was dancing, "Now my mission is fulfilled. Now my mission is fulfilled."

Hayagrīva: That's Advaita.

Prabhupāda: Advaita. Lunar eclipse, everyone taking bath in the Ganges and chanting.

Hayagrīva: And Advaita is introduced there, and he's very joyful on this occasion because he had requested that this incarnation . . .

Prabhupāda: Yes. He prayed. He prayed to Kṛṣṇa that "You come."

Hayagrīva: And he's aware at this time that this is the occurrence of Lord Caitanya's incarnation.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. So this scene should be entered like that.

Hayagrīva: Now I noticed in the list of characters we have up here, Rādhārāṇī. She doesn't appear at this point.

Prabhupāda: No. Rādhārāṇī will be in the rāsa dance?

Hayagrīva: Oh. In the Rāsa dance.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hayagrīva: That's the . . .

Prabhupāda: Rādhārāṇī and Kṛṣṇa in the center.

Hayagrīva: That is . . .

Prabhupāda: And Kṛṣṇa has expanded Himself for other gopīs, hand to hand.

Hayagrīva: That's the third scene, the Rāsa dance. So Rādhārāṇī appears in that?

Prabhupāda: That's the third scene, yes. There is the appearance, appearance of Rādhārāṇī.

Hayagrīva: The damsels of Vṛndāvana appear also in the . . .

Prabhupāda: No, the dance was in Vṛndāvana. Yes. That dance was in Vṛndāvana.

Hayagrīva: The damsels of Vṛndāvana also appear in the third scene.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Third scene. Yes. Rāsa dance of Lord Kṛṣṇa and His associates. Lord Kṛṣṇa's determination.

Hayagrīva: All right. Now we have the fourth scene. Does Advaita speak to anyone in the fourth scene, or is that . . .?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hayagrīva: Is there anyone there? Any of these characters there? I'm trying to introduce the characters.

Prabhupāda: Yes, certainly.

Hayagrīva: The characters should be introduced in the first act.

Prabhupāda: Yes. There should be . . .

Hayagrīva: A few of them. Not all of them, but a few of them should be . . .

Prabhupāda: Śrīnivāsa. Śrīnivāsa and Haridāsa. Haridāsa character is there?

Hayagrīva: Yes, I have this.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Haridāsa should be a old man.

Hayagrīva: So Advaita is old too, isn't he?

Prabhupāda: Advaita is old.

Hayagrīva: And Nivas.

Prabhupāda: He is not so old. He is middle-aged man.

Hayagrīva: Could you give me a brief rundown on their . . .? Are they devotee, they're devotees . . .

Prabhupāda: Yes. Just like the picture is, Advaita, say, his age is about forty years, and Haridāsa and Advaita, he was about more than fifty years old at that time when Caitanya Mahāprabhu was born. They were quite old men, His father's age.

Hayagrīva: They're all devotees.

Prabhupāda: They're all devotees. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was propagating His saṅkīrtana movement, the brāhmins, the orthodox brāhmins, they took objection. So "This is not according to Hindu śāstra. This is something new." But only these two gentlemen, they . . . Advaita happened to be the head of the brāhmin community. So his support . . .

And he was a well-to-do man, he was rich man, influential man. His support made Caitanya's movement successful in Nabadwip. He was very influential man. And similarly, Śrīnivāsa, he was also, he belonged to the brāhmin community. And Advaita gave shelter to Haridāsa. Haridāsa was a Muhammadan. So he was punished by the Muhammadan magistrate and he took shelter at the house of Advaita. He was maintaining him.

Hayagrīva: Haridāsa Ṭhākura.

Prabhupāda: You can make them appear in the scene. They were talking between Haridāsa and Śrīnivāsa and Advaita, and all of them chanting and dancing: "Now our mission is fulfilled."

Hayagrīva: Yes, I see.