Prabhupāda: I have several times explained this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Again I shall explain. It is very nice question. You have got your consciousness. Is it right? Every one of us, we have got consciousness. Is that right? Now, this consciousness is eternal. This consciousness is not a result of the combination of matter. You cannot create consciousness by mixing so many chemicals or material things in the laboratory. That is not possible. This consciousness, eternal.
How do we know it? Because we understand it from Bhagavad-gītā. It is stated that avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam (BG 2.17): "That thing which is spread all over your body." And what is that thing? This consciousness. You pinch any part of your body, you feel pain, because the consciousness is there. "So that thing, consciousness," Kṛṣṇa says, the teacher of Bhagavad-gītā, "that is eternal." Eternal. Now, how it is eternal? When you were a child, the consciousness was there. Then you grew up to your boyhood—the consciousness was there. Then you are now young—the consciousness is there. And when you become old man like me, the consciousness will be there.
Therefore, in spite of my changing different kinds of body, the consciousness is there. And when I shall change this body for another new body, this consciousness will go with me. And according to that consciousness, I'll get a particular type of body.
So at the present moment, because we are changing different kinds of body, that means my consciousness is not pure. And we have to make our consciousness pure, which is technically called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And as soon as the consciousness is pure, you get your eternal, existential life. That is the sum and substance of becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious. And this movement is for that purpose, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
You have any other inquiry about . . .
Guest (1): Yes, Swāmī. You mentioned new bodies. Does this embrace reincarnation? That is, when we leave the physical body we have now on death, do you mean that the consciousness goes on?
Prabhupāda: Yes. This incarnation is going on every minute, because you are changing your body. Imperceptibly you are changing your body. That is a medical, scientific point, that we are changing our body every second, every minute. This change—you call change, or you can transfer your identity from one body to another, it means the same thing. You see?
So similarly, the ultimate change of this body is called death. When this body is no more workable, then we transmigrate to another body. That body is offered to us according to our consciousness. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). At the time of death, the situation of your consciousness makes you ready for accepting a similar body. And if you quit this body in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you get a body by which you can associate with Kṛṣṇa. That is to be understood, how it is possible. Therefore the training should be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
. . . in particular type of consciousness. That we cannot deny. Now if we change our consciousness to Kṛṣṇa type of consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is perfection of our life. The process is: by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa we keep always alive to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Guest (1): How long it will take for anyone can achieve perfection? How many stages one must go through, or how many years, how many centuries?
Prabhupāda: No. There is no such stereotype rules that you have to do it for so many years, so many . . . it depends on your personal energy of progress. It is very simple to understand. Suppose a man is diseased. No doctor can guarantee that "This will be cured in so many days." You see? It depends on the situation of the patient's condition and accepting the treatment. Similarly, it can be cured in one day or it may not be cured in one thousand days. That will depend on the patient.
(break) . . . have got instances that one got perfection in Kṛṣṇa consciousness within a few second also. That is also possible. Because it is spiritual, it does not depend on any material rules and regulation. It depends on my seriousness. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā you have got instruction by Lord Kṛṣṇa.