So a person who is situated on the platform of pure consciousness, he's not disturbed by all these miseries. That is the symptom. He's not disturbed. When . . . or . . . when we are situated in pure consciousness platform, we'll personally understand that "I am not disturbed by all these miseries." People become very much disturbed, agitated, but one who is actually situated in this position of pure consciousness—brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54)—he has no distress.
He has no distress. And sukheṣu, sukheṣu vigata-spṛhaḥ. This is the, I mean to say, platform of distresses. And there are sometimes happiness also. Happiness also. Sometimes, suppose I get some good foodstuff. Somebody praises me, "Oh, Swāmījī, you are very great soul," and so on, so on, so on . . . so that praising, that praising . . . sometimes we are offered some, I mean to say—decoration, some degrees of praises from institution. These are the signs of our happiness. But one who is situated in pure consciousness, he's neither disturbed by all those distresses, neither he is actually happy by all these designative offerings. You see? Because he knows that these designation . . .
Suppose I have passed my M.A. examination, and in the, in the university, in the convocation meeting, I get the degree and people applause me; but if one is situated in consciousness, he will understand, "What is this degree? This degree is due to my this body. As soon as this body finishes, all these degree will finish. Because, if it is a fact that vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22), if I have to take another body after leaving this body, then everything in bodily connection will finish as soon as I give up this body and take another body. That is my position."
Therefore, one who is convinced, one who knows actually that "I am not this body; I am pure consciousness," so these degrees . . . or some good, palatable foodstuff I have been offered by some friend, I am eating. "Oh," I am thinking, "oh, how happy I am!" But what is that happiness? That happiness is due to my tongue only. But I am not this tongue. So these things are . . . will appear, one who is purely consciousness. You see? But that, that does not mean that I shall not eat or I shall not associate in the society. No. I shall be. Everything I shall be, but I must always know that "I am aloof from this. My position is that I am subordinate to the supreme consciousness, and I, I have to act in that position."