HH KKS: Srivas was older than Lord Chaityana, he was already daily having kirtans in his house before Lord Chaitanya appeared. Advaita Acharya was there because He was substantially older than Lord Chaitanya, and Advaita Acharya lived also 25 years after Lord Chaitanya. Making Him somewhere close to 125 years old and Srivas was at least older than Lord Chaitanya. While Chaitanya was in His childhood, Srivas was daily or nightly performing kirtan. And the neighbours were complaining that “All night they are partying in that place no one gets any sleep in this neighbourhood, so much noise these guys are making.” They decided that if it does not stop they will cut his house, because these Bengali houses it is a bamboo frame with mats , so we will cut the house and throw it in the river. So when Advaita Acharya heard He said: “If now the Supreme Lord does not appear very soon, then Myself, I will take my four armed form and with my Sudharshana Chakra will cut the heads of these demons” Yes. These are pastimes described in the Chaitanya Bhagavat. So we see these pastimes, we see how Advaita Acharya in His old age was partking in the Kirtan parties and the amazing thing was Advaita Acharya was one of the principal dancers, so it’s like amazing, and if we go on Harinam and we make the local grandfather who is the oldest and make him the principal dancer, on harinam how about that?! So that is quite amazing. That shows transcendence, that even old age can be transcended. And didn’t Srila Prabupada show it, didn’t he show it, here in London in 1973 , didn’t he show it in that ratha yatra. When he just didn’t ride on the chariot, but when he danced in front and ran up and down before the chariot, and just danced with raised arms the whole way. Not only that, if we see the lil-amrita carefully we will see that before Prabhupada had just been in Mayapur, and his sister had cooked kachoris for him, and Prabhupada ate the kachori and shortly after called the servant and said: “0h my sister has poisoned me. This kachori is inedible , indigestible. Oh I am in agony.” He was very very ill, severe dysentery and the devotees were very, very worried. Then after on the second day he said call my sister, everyone’s getting worried “Oh no not the sister!” (laughter) And he asked his sister to cook egg plant and puris, the devotees thought this is going to be the end , this is it , this is going to be the final thing , but she made it and Prabhupad took that egg plant and puris and said my mother always used to make egg plant and puris for us when someone had dysentery or diarrhoea. Prabhupada was still very weak. The secretary went to sit somewhere else at the back of the plane, and Prabhupada had two seats so he could lie down, which was very unusual for him. Even from the car driving from the airport he was still not well. Amazing enough just see how he transcended that situation in the rath yatra. So anything can be transcended. That is what we also see in the Panca Tattva.
The Panca Tattva therefore is asked to deal with our limitations, our conditioning because we think how can I do it? I am too old. I’m too young I need some freedom. But within the Panca Tattva there are answers for everyone. He (Srivasa) has his wild days, and in this way there are answers to those who are taking a walk on the wild side! There are answers to old men with arthritis! There are answers for everyone. Thus in various ways, Lord Chaitanya who is Krishna Himself is encouraging us to finally. surrender
(03/2009-Leicester,UK)