Brahma-bhutah means simply to understand that I am not the material body. To be convinced firmly with all reasons and argument, firmly conviction, this is called faith. Faith is not flickering. One must be firmly convinced. So then you immediately become joyful.

Just like if you are implicated with some undesirable affairs and if you, some way or other, your lawyer advises, "Oh, you are free from this implication. The law does not bind you," just like you feel pleasure, "Oh, I'm not in this implication?" "Yes," similarly, as soon as one is convinced that "I am not this material body," then immediately he becomes joyful. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati [Bg. 18.54].

And what is that joyfulness? There is no lamentation and there is no hankering. If you have hankering, then you are not joyful. If you have
lamentation, there is no hankering. If you have hankering, then you are not joyful. If you have lamentation, then you are not joyful. These are the signs.

Brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati samah sarvesu bhutesu. And if you are actually self-realized soul, in the light of God, then your treatment will be equal to all living entities. Not that "He is animal, he is man, he is black, he is white, he's this, he's Indian, he's American, he's Chinese." No. Samah sarvesu bhutesu. Everyone is spirit soul, son of God, part and parcel of God. This realization. Prasannatma. He has no enemy. He becomes enemyless immediately, because he sees everyone part and parcel of God, everything energy of God, everything belongs to God, everything enjoyable by God, by Krsna. In this way he sees in everything Krsna, and nothing else. Prasannatma na socati na kanksati samah sarvesu… [Bg. 18.54].

That is the beginning of Krsna consciousness. Mad-bhaktim labhate param. Param. That is transcendental situation of Krsna consciousness.

(Srila Prabhupada, Lecture at Initiation Fire Sacrifice — July 16, 1969, Los Angeles)