Prabhupada 0293 - Twelve Kinds of Rasas, Humor
Lecture -- Seattle, October 4, 1968
Kṛṣṇa means "all-attractive." He is attractive to the lover, He's attractive to the wise, He's attractive to the politician, He's attractive to the scientist, He is attractive to the rogues. Rogues also. When Kṛṣṇa entered the arena of Kaṁsa, different kinds of people saw Him differently. Those who were invited from Vṛndāvana, they were young girls. They saw Kṛṣṇa, "Oh, the most beautiful person." Those who were wrestlers, they saw Kṛṣṇa as thunderbolt. They also saw Kṛṣṇa, but they say, "Oh, here is thunderbolt." Just like however strong you may be, if there is falldown of thunderbolt everything is finished. So they saw Kṛṣṇa as thunderbolt, the wrestlers. Yes. And the elderly persons, elderly ladies, they saw Kṛṣṇa as loving child. So you can establish relationship with Kṛṣṇa any way. There are twelve kinds of rasas, humor. Just like sometimes we want to see a very pathetic scene in some drama, some ghastly scene. Somebody is murdering somebody and we take pleasure in seeing that. There are certain kinds of person... There are different kinds of sporting. One of our student in Montreal, he was saying that his father took pleasure in bull fighting in Spain. When the bull is killed by fighting, he was taking pleasure. So different kinds of men. One person is seeing, "It is horrible," another person is enjoying, "Oh, it is very nice." You see? So Kṛṣṇa can accommodate. If you want to love horrible things, Kṛṣṇa can present yourself as Nṛsiṁhadeva, "Ah."(laughter—Haribol) Yes. And if you want to see Kṛṣṇa as very loving friend, He is Vamśī-dhārī, Vṛndāvana-vihārī. If you want Kṛṣṇa as loving child, then He's Gopāla. If you want child as loving friend, he's Arjuna. Just like Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa. So there are twelve kinds of humors. Kṛṣṇa can be accommodated with all the humors; therefore His name is Akhila-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Akhila-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Akhila means universal; rasa means mellow, humor; and the ocean. Just like if you try to find out water and if you go before the Pacific Ocean, oh, unlimited water. There is no comparison how much water is there. (chuckling) Similarly, if you want something and if you approach Kṛṣṇa, you'll find unlimited supply, unlimited supply, just like ocean. Therefore it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ (BG 6.20-23). If anyone can approach or gain that Supreme Absolute, then he will be satisfied and he will say, "Oh, I have no more hankering. I have got everything complete, in full satisfaction." Yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ yasmin sthite (BG 6.20-23). And if one is situated in that transcendental position, then what happens? Guruṇāpi duḥkhena na vicālyate (BG 6.20-23). If there is very severe test of distress, he's not, I mean to say, faltering.
There are many instances in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā the Pāṇḍavas were placed in so many distressed condition, but they were never faltering. They never asked Kṛṣṇa, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are my friend. You are our friend, the Pāṇḍavas. Why we are undergoing so much severe test of difficulties?" No. They never. Because they were confident that "In spite of all these difficulties, we shall come out victorious because Kṛṣṇa is there. Because Kṛṣṇa is there." This confidence. This is called śaraṇāgati, surrender.