Acharya Prashant addresses a questioner who feels hurt when his family and friends call him arrogant for his success, which he believes he achieves through desireless action (Nishkam Karma). Acharya Prashant points out the inherent contradiction in the questioner's statement. He explains that if the questioner is hurt by criticism, it implies he has a desire for praise and approval from others. This desire itself means his actions are not truly desireless. He states, "If you are hurt by someone's words, it means you had a desire for something else from them. You were not performing desireless action." The speaker elaborates that the pain from criticism is directly proportional to the underlying desire for praise from that person. If one has no desire for praise from someone, their criticism will not cause any hurt. He says, "The hurt is not from the insult; the hurt is from the desire." A person who is truly desireless would be beyond both praise and blame. They would not be elated by praise nor dejected by criticism, maintaining a state of equanimity. Acharya Prashant advises the questioner to stop acting with the expectation of praise from others. He warns that being concerned with the opinions of relatives and friends will prevent one from accomplishing any meaningful work in life. He emphasizes that one's focus should be on the right action, not on the validation received from the world. To illustrate his point, he quotes Baba Bulleh Shah: "When you become a lover of God, you will be condemned a hundred thousand times. They will call you an infidel, and you should say, 'Yes, I am.'" He explains that when people call you arrogant, you should simply agree with them. He concludes by saying that a truly religious person is often seen as an atheist in the eyes of the world, and one who is a true lover of God will inevitably face condemnation from society.
