30
THE SCIENCE OF SELF-REALIZATION
Mike Robinson:  Yes, that's right, there is.
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  And that literature comes along with the creation of the microphone.
Mike Robinson:  That's right, yes.
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  So, similarly, the Vedic literature comes along with the cosmic creation, to explain how to deal with it.
Mike Robinson:  I see. So, these scriptures have been in existence since the beginning of creation. Now, if we could move on to something I believe you feel very strongly about. What is the main difference between Kṛṣṇa consciousness and the other Eastern disciplines being taught in the West?
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  The difference is that we are following the original literature, and they are manufacturing their own literature. That is the difference. When there is some question on spiritual matters, you must consult the original literature, not some literature issued by a bogus man.
Mike Robinson:  What about the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa . . .
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is the easiest process by which to become purified, especially in this age, when people are so dull that they cannot very easily understand spiritual knowledge. If one chants Hare Kṛṣṇa, then his intelligence becomes purified, and he can understand spiritual things.
Mike Robinson:  Can you tell me how you are guided in what you do?
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  We take guidance from the Vedic literature.
Mike Robinson:  From the scriptures you quoted?
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  Yes, it's all in the literatures. We're explaining them in English. But we're not manufacturing anything. If we were to manufacture knowledge, then everything would be spoiled. The Vedic literature is something like the literature that explains how to set up this microphone. It says, "Do it like this: some of the screws should be on this side, around the metal." You cannot make any change; then everything would be spoiled. Similarly, because we are not manufacturing anything, one simply has to read one of our books, and he receives real spiritual knowledge.
Mike Robinson:  How can the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness affect the way people live?
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  It can relieve people's suffering. People are suffering because they are misunderstanding themselves to be the body. If you think that you are your coat and shirt, and you very carefully wash the coat and shirt but you forget to eat, will you be happy?