The realized soul (Jnani) and an Ajnani (ignorant), in their outward behavior, there is hardly any difference between the realized soul and the ignorant one. Though the outward behavior of realized one and the ignorant one appears to be the same, there is a vast difference in their inner attitude. The way the two look at experiencing sense-objects are quite different. The ignorant takes the world with all the joys and miseries it has to offer as real and belonging to him. On the contrary, the realized one knows with certainty that they are unreal and he has no connection with them. Thus, the two differ in their understanding and attitude.
A fully awakened Jnani knows that the world that appears with all the duality is false and he thinks, ” I am Atman, I am in no way connected with the false world.” On the other hand, an Ajnani takes the world and the happenings in it as real and consequently suffers all the time. The two differ in their attitude and not in their outward behavior.
— Sadguru Shri Avadhootanand Maharaj.