Prabhupāda: Yes. Self-analysis, if you analyze yourself, if you think yourself, meditate, study your finger, "Am I this finger?" the answer will be, "No. My finger." "Am I this hand?" Then the answer will be, "No, it is my hand." Then where is "I"?
Indian guest (1): Yes, that is the ultimate . . .
Prabhupāda: That is . . . that is . . . if you can study "I," then it is scientific. Simply "my" is not scientific. That is, child knows, "It is my finger."
Indian guest (1): Yes, but, I mean, it is a further word to study oneself.
Prabhupāda: That further means when you come to the conclusion that, "I am spirit soul." If you can understand this, then it is scientific. If you remain in ignorance that, "I am this body," that is not scientific. Actually, I am not this body. Everyone can understand. Just like a dead man. Suppose some of your relative has died. You are crying, "Oh, my friend has gone. My friend has gone." Your friend is lying there.
Why you say that, "My friend has gone"? What is the answer? If I say . . . the dead body, you are crying, "Oh, my relative has gone. My father is gone," or some . . . I say: "Where he has gone? He is there. Why you are crying?" Then what will be your answer?
Indian guest (1): No, I mean that that is the ultimate scheme for . . .
Prabhupāda: But that you understand, that that . . . what is that? What is that? You have never seen your father or friend. You have seen this body. Now you are crying, "Now he has gone." Why he has gone? You have seen the body all along. That is lying here. Why you say he has gone? What is your answer? This is ignorance. All along I am seeing the false thing: "He is my father; I am the body."
But he's not my father. Actually, when father, my, goes away from this body, I cry, "Oh, my father has gone." Where he has gone? His . . . the body is there. This is ignorance. That, it is not scientific. Because I'm thinking, "I am this body," this is not scientific. This is ignorance.
So in this way you have to study. But the answer is there in the Vedic literature: tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). "My father has accepted another body," this is scientific. Dhīra, one who is sober, he is not lamenting. Just like your child, from babyhood it becomes grown-up, or acts in another way. You are not crying, "Where is that body of my child, that baby body? Where he has gone?" But you know that he has transferred to this body. Similarly, when you get this knowledge that, "My father has left this body, he has accepted another body, although it is not visible," that is knowledge. That is scientific.
Indian guest (1): Yes, but by average person it is very difficult to reach the light . . .
Prabhupāda: But therefore he has to study. Every rascal, fool, he has to study. There is education. Therefore Vedic literature is there. If you don't study and you see . . . if you say: "I am scientific advanced," then what is this nonsense? If you have no knowledge, if you have no study, why do you say: "I am scientific"? Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Devotees: Haribol. (break)
Indian Guest (2): How does repeating one word, "Kṛṣṇa," or singing "Rāma" and "Kṛṣṇa" help achieving the way?
Prabhupāda: Because you'll be in touch with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name not different, because Kṛṣṇa is absolute. So you see, these Europeans and American boys and girls, simply by chanting how they are advancing in spiritual consciousness. This is practical, not theoretical. "Kṛṣṇa" means Kṛṣṇa. Just like here in this material world, if I want to drink water, if I say: "water, water, water," that will not satisfy me. I want the substance water. So here there is difference between the name and the substance. But in the absolute world there is no such difference. Nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (CC Madhya 17.133). Kṛṣṇa the person and Kṛṣṇa's name the same thing.
Therefore if you chant "Kṛṣṇa," then you are in direct touch with Kṛṣṇa. So that will help you for your spiritual advancement. Just like if you are in touch with fire you will get yourself warmer, warmer and warmer, and at last you'll get red fire. Similarly, if we are in touch with Kṛṣṇa, then we advance spiritually, and then we become completely spiritualized, our original Brahman. This is the process. Simple process. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and you'll gradually develop your spiritual consciousness. That is actually happening. It is not story. You can see practically how they are spiritually advancing.
So why not experiment yourself? What is the loss? If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, is there any loss? Tell me, is there any loss? But why don't you do it? Why not make a try? Instead of arguing, you see practically what is happening. They are of different civilization, different culture. How they are developing their Kṛṣṇa consciousness? How it is possible? Simply by chanting. This is practical. Throughout the whole world—in Africa, in America, in Canada—everywhere. So this is very simple process. But people will waste their time by arguing. Why not make an experiment and see what is the result? That is our propaganda.