Prabhupāda: We have come to give this message of Kṛṣṇa. That is our business. We are not tourists.
Michael Gordon: What does being a devotee of Kṛṣṇa involve? Does it...?
Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa involved means you are.... Every one of you, you are Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel. But on account of your forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa, you are suffering. Therefore our message is that "You become Kṛṣṇa conscious. You'll be happy." This is our message. Otherwise we have no business to bring the message to the forgotten persons, that "You have forgotten Kṛṣṇa; therefore you are suffering. You awaken your Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You'll be happy." This is our message.
Brian Singer: What does.... When you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, does it mean you come into the chapel, or can you lead the sort of life that we lead and still...?
Prabhupāda: No, going to the chapel, that is one of the means, but there are nine different processes, of which, hearing about Kṛṣṇa is the most important thing, śravaṇam. If you continuously hear about Kṛṣṇa. Therefore these books are there, hearing and chanting. If you cannot read, I'll read; you hear. I'll speak. Or you will speak; I'll hear. These two processes are very important. Therefore we are presenting in English language the subject matter of Kṛṣṇa so elaborately. We have published eighty-two books like this. If you read one book.... This is the preliminary study. Then, if you read it with great attention, you become Kṛṣṇa conscious immediately. Then you understand about Kṛṣṇa from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in sixty books, and then you enjoy the transcendental pleasure in Caitanya-caritāmṛta in seventeen books. So you cannot finish even within your life. So many books are there. And you'll forget reading other books.
Brian Singer: We'll just...?
Prabhupāda: The first book of reading is this, Bhagavad-gītā. The Bhagavad-gītā is well known all over the world. Every scholar, religionist, everyone reads, all over the world. But sometimes they are misinterpreted foolishly. We are therefore presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any foolish interpretation. What Kṛṣṇa says, we repeat the same thing.
Brian Singer: In the Kṛṣṇa teachings, the person is not the body but the soul, which is like many religions. Also, some animals, animals also, are not the body but the soul. This is true? Like the cow and the dog and the cat?
Prabhupāda: Yes, everywhere soul is there. Just like the soul is there in the child, in the boy, in the young man, in the middle-aged man, in the old man.
Brian Singer: Yeah, I understand this.
Prabhupāda: So similarly, soul is everywhere.
Brian Singer: And in the animal also? In the dog?
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.
Brian Singer: Yeah? And how far down in the animal world? Like you have the worm and also bacteria and the virus. Is also true?
Prabhupāda: That is the difference. I have already told you that the soul is in the child, and the soul is in the body of the father, but the child's soul is.... Or.... Soul is everywhere, but the proportionate consciousness is not developed. Just like wood. In every wood there is fire. Do you admit?
Brian Singer: In every...?
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Wood.
Brian Singer: Oh, yeah, yeah.
Prabhupāda: Now, if a small piece of wood, a small piece of fire. And big piece of wood, big piece of fire. Similarly, according to the body, the consciousness of the soul is present.
Brian Singer: In proportion to the form of life.
Prabhupāda: In proportion to the body the.... The same fire, but the proportion of the fire is different, in proportion of the piece of wood. Similarly, according to the body, the consciousness is manifest. The consciousness of a child is different from the consciousness of the father because the body is different. So in the human form of life it is expected that the consciousness should be fully developed. If it does not develop by some reason or other, then it remains like animal. In the human form of life it is expected that the consciousness should be fully developed.