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Roof (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Mombassa, September 13, 1971:

if you understand God, then you understand everything. One way is ascending process, one process is descending process. Just like on the roof there is some sound. Now we are here, we are not on the roof, we may conjecture or theorize what is that sound. Somebody will say some cat must be there, somebody will say that some man must be there. In this way, we can go on speculate. This is also one process. This is called ascending process. And descending process means if there is one person on the roof, he says, "This sound is due to this," then that is also perfect knowledge. So we get knowledge from the higher authorities, that is perfect knowledge and that is easier.

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

Just like a small child. If I say to the small child, so "Sun is there in the sky, and the child will say, "Show me where is the sun." And if somebody says, "Yes, come on, I shall show you sun. Come on the roof. I have got a torch-light." As it is not possible to show the sun at night, although the child is insisting, similarly, the so-called scientists who are claiming that there is no God, they're just like the child. You have to understand.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- Nairobi, October 28, 1975:

Brahmānanda: Why did He not manifest Himself all over the world so that all living entities could have equal chance...?

Prabhupāda: Yes, He manifested all over the world, but you have no eyes to see Him. That is your defect. Kṛṣṇa is present everywhere. But just like sun is present in the sky. Why don't you see now? Huh? Answer this. Do you think the sun is not in the sky? Do you think that sun is not there? So go on the roof and see the sun. (laughter) Why you prove yourself a rascal, that "No, no, there is no sun"? Will it be accepted by learned men? Because you cannot see the sun, there is no sun? Will it be accepted by any learned scholar? At night you cannot see the sun, so if you say to any learned man, any, who knows things, "No, no, there is no sun," so will he accept that? He will say that "Sun is there. You rascal, you cannot see." That's all.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Calcutta, February 23, 1972:

Caitanya Mahāprabhu take away some of his fruits and donā, as a friend. So one day Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that "Śrīdhara, you take benediction from Me." So he said "What benediction, Sir?" "Well, you are so poor that your house is not even properly repaired. There are so many holes in the roof." He, "Still, I have a nice house because it is better than the bird's nest. They have no roof. (laughter) They have no roof, and they live on a tree. I have got a shelter. What is the difficulty? There is no difficulty." In this way Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to offer him so many thing, and he said that "No, I have no trouble for this. If You want to benedict me, please give me pure devotion on Your lotus feet."

Lecture on SB 1.5.4 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1968:

We cannot see things rightly. Although we have got very lightening arrangement, artificial electricity, still, we do not see things as they are. Suppose you go up to your roof, and if you want to see, find out some friend's house, you cannot see. This is darkness. Darkness means you do not understand things as it is. But in the sunlight you can see everything.

Lecture on SB 1.8.30 -- Los Angeles, April 22, 1973:
The roof of sinful life will collapse. Then chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, you remain fixed up in transcendental position. Simple method. Because one cannot realize God if his life is sinful. That is not possible. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says: yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpam. Anta-gatam means finished. One who has finished sinful life.
Lecture on SB 1.8.39 -- Los Angeles, May 1, 1973:

There are so many stones and nails. There is pricking Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, which is so soft that we think our breast as hard when Kṛṣṇa puts His lotus feet. Still He's walking." They are absorbed in this thought. And they are crying. So they are so anxious to see Kṛṣṇa back home in the evening that they are standing on the way, on the roof, "Now Kṛṣṇa is coming back with His..." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is... Kṛṣṇa cannot be absent from a devotee when he's too much absorbed in Kṛṣṇa thought. This is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 1.10.5 -- Mayapura, June 20, 1973:

During rainy season the water is collected on the top of the hill. It is stocked there by God's arrangement, and they come down. Just like we, by power pump, we get water down to the top of the roof and stock there. Similarly, on high level of hills and mountains water is stocked. Sometimes they are stocked in ice form, not in liquid form.

Lecture on SB 1.16.10 -- Los Angeles, January 7, 1974:

In our childhood we have seen, our family also. If one wanted to eat meat, then he would do it hundred miles away secretly. Nobody will know. Or he will go to some rascal hotel. That was the system. Now they are keeping chickens, everyone's roof. This is the advancement, Kali's advancement. And government is giving license, "Yes, you manufacture liquor."

Lecture on SB 3.25.19 -- Bombay, November 19, 1974:

If you, at night, you inquire about something, then it is very difficult. But if you go in the daytime... And at night if you got up on your roof and want to see where is Bombay or where is Santa Cruz, it is very difficult. But daytime, you can see. Similarly, uttamam. You must go out of this darkness, come to the light, and then you will see.

Lecture on SB 3.25.31 -- Bombay, December 1, 1974:

Just like we are sitting here. If there is some sound on the roof... Now we are, say, one hundred persons sitting here. We can speculate that "This sound may be for this reason." That, all of them, may be imperfect, and if somebody says from the roof that "This sound was caused for this reason," that is perfect. That is perfect because he has got direct experience.

Lecture on SB 5.5.8 -- Vrndavana, October 30, 1976:

We have to eat, so grow food grains. So where shall I grow my food grains? Not on the roof, but I must have some land, ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra, land is wanted, ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra. Then putra-hīnaṁ gṛhaṁ śūnyam, family life, married life, but there is no son. That is another troublesome There are so many married life, they haven't got son, children—they are very unhappy.

Lecture on SB 6.2.15 -- Vrndavana, September 18, 1975:

There are persons who criticize chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Nāmnād artha-vāda. Because the glories of the holy name are described here, that one can become free from the sinful reaction of life simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord, so sometimes those who are not in the line, they think, "It is too much. It is too much." So the next verse, the... It is advised... Not it is too much. You can test it. Test it. What is that test? Patita. When you fall down from a high place... Suppose from the roof you may fall down, patitaṁ. Skhalita: you may slip and fall down. Bhagnaḥ: by falling down you may break your bones. Then sandaṣṭaḥ: you may be bitten by some animal—cats, dogs, a snake.

Lecture on SB 7.9.55 -- Vrndavana, April 10, 1976:

In the history of the devotees there was one devotee of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Īśāna. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to give him some benediction. He was very poor man. Even his roof, thatched roof, that was not properly... There were so many holes. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "My dear Īśāna, if you like, you can take some benediction." "No, why I shall take benediction?" "No, you have no roof even on your thatched house." He said, "Why? There are many birds. They are living on the tree. There is no roof at all. I have got roof with some holes, that's all. And they have no roof at all, so how they are living? For this purpose I shall ask You benediction? No, no, no." In this way he refused. So that is pure devotion, that "I shall not take any benediction from the Lord, but I shall give everything to God."

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.27-31 -- New York, January 15, 1967:

By the grace of Kṛṣṇa, he gets knowledge, what is what. So kṛṣṇa-sūrya-sama. Just like in the sunlight. During night, in darkness, we cannot understand what is what. Suppose in darkness, at night, you go up to the roof of the house and you want to see where is your home. You cannot ascertain. But in the light, when the sun is up, you can see: "Oh, that direction is my house." Similarly, as in the sunlight everything becomes clear for our seeing, similarly, in touch with Kṛṣṇa consciousness everything becomes clear, what it is.

Initiation Lectures

Initiation Lecture -- London, August 22, 1971:

We want immortality. Now we are sitting here. If there is some siren, then immediately on the roof of this house, atom bomb will be dropped. Then immediately we shall flee away from this place. Why? Because we are not prepared to meet death. We do not wish to die. That's a fact. But death is forced. This is knowledge, that "I do not wish to die. Why death is forced upon me? Or if there is any means to avoid death?" The śāstra says, "Yes, there is." Bhagavad-gītā says, Kṛṣṇa says that... Kṛṣṇa says, yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6), that if you... Mad-dhāma gatvā punar janma na vidyate. "If you come to my planet, dhāma," dhāma means planet, place, "then you'll never come back to take birth again in this material world."

Initiations -- San Diego, June 30, 1972:

We have to accept the favorable things. So if illicit sex life is unfavorable for my advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, I must accept it. You cannot argue. That will not help you. Similarly, intoxication. Similarly, meat-eating. Similarly, gambling. Because these are the four pillars of sinful life: illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. The roof of sinful life is held by these four pillars.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972:

Just like you cannot see the sun at this time, when the night is dark. You cannot, ah, I mean to say, invent some searchlight and ask people, "Please come on the roof. I shall show you the sun by the searchlight." It is not possible. By your endeavor you cannot see the sun at night. But when the sun rises in the morning, you can see. That is the process. Similarly, you cannot understand God by your mental speculation. You have to submit yourself.

Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972:

God is unapproachable by your mental concoction. But there is another process: if you understand God by this the paramparā system. Just like on this roof there is some sound, and every one of us making some suggestion what is the sound: "This may be like this. This may be like that. This may be like that." This is one process of knowledge, to understand the unseen by speculation. This is one. It may be successful or may not be successful. There is no certainty. But if somebody from the roof says, "The sound is due to this," then our knowledge is perfect.

Tenth Anniversary Address -- Washington, D.C., July 6, 1976:

We have to base our relationships with each other on love and trust; otherwise this would never happen. I've seen personally so many people gathered together under one roof who would never speak to each other in the material world, who would never even see each other, who would never (indistinct). But in Kṛṣṇa consciousness all these things are forgotten because there's a common denominator, Kṛṣṇa, and everyone's (indistinct) together in love and trust.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant:

Prabhupāda: Why should he remain agnostic? If there is possibility, mind cannot go beyond this, but if the same thing, we say upon the roof there is some sound, now we speculate, but we cannot ascertain what is the sound. But if somebody is actually there, he says, "This sound is due to this." So why I shall remain satisfied with agnostic position, that I could not ascertain what is the sound, and therefore I shall remain satisfied? I shall say, "Is there anybody on the roof?" If somebody says, "Yes. I am here," "Will you kindly say what is the sound?" "Yes: this, that, this, that."

Purports to Songs

Purport to Parama Koruna -- Atlanta, February 28, 1975:

So we fallen souls, conditioned souls, we are very much attached to this material body, and consequently, material world. This is the disease. This is called bhava-roga, or material disease, to become attached to this body. "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am white," "I am black"—I identify with this body because we are very much attached to this body. But if we study very deeply, "Why I am attached to this body?" Suppose if there is some danger, immediately warning, just this roof is going to fall down, we shall immediately take care of our own body, not of our Godbrothers.

Page Title:Roof (Lectures)
Compiler:Sahadeva, Gopinath
Created:31 of Dec, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=22, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:22