Acharya Prashant responds to a question about being disturbed by small problems, such as a new t-shirt getting ruined. He humorously states that he cannot offer much advice on the matter, as he himself gets troubled by similar trivial issues, like getting a kurta's sleeves altered. He explains that these very incidents are what indicate that spiritual practice is still needed. There will be no divine announcement or written message to inform you that you have not yet attained liberation. Instead, getting disturbed by a torn t-shirt or a balloon bursting is how you will know. These signs, such as being bothered for two weeks over a torn t-shirt, are to be appreciated because they reveal that the water is still up to your nose and you could drown at any moment. This is how you realize the need for spiritual practice. The clearest proof that your mind is not engaged with the vast is its attachment to the trivial. Getting entangled in small matters—like a rickshaw driver not returning six rupees, hair fall, someone hitting you with their knee, or a small smiley in a message when a big one was an option—is the great problem. These are the very things that cause suffering in life, the very things that saints and sages practiced to be free from. Acharya Prashant clarifies that attention (dhyan) means ignoring the trivial and focusing on the vast. It does not mean paying attention to small things, like counting the hairs on someone's beard. He quotes Kabir Saheb, "The line of vermilion has been drawn, kohl cannot be applied." When the beloved resides in the mind and body, where is the space for another? But when the mind is not in love with the beloved (the vast), it gets caught up in trivialities. He points out that whatever gives you pleasure will also bring you fear. When you are enjoying pleasure, you don't remember the teacher, but you come to him when you are in a bad state. He advises that one should come to the teacher even when in a good state.
