KT

In Mahabharata, Lord Krishna says 'When a person dies, what we really lose is the knowledge and experience that the person takes away with him or her'. That's why when Bheeshmacharya was on his death bed (of arrows), Krishna gets Yudhishtira and his brothers to listen to Acharya's sermon. This forms an important parva in Mahabharata.

Even in the corporate world we hear terms like, 'Years of experience', 'Knowledge sharing sessions' and 'Lesson Learnt'. Before leaving the organisation give all the information to the next person!

I wonder why sometimes we don't learn from those who have more 'experience' in life than us. The older people in our family or friends circle who have gained a wealth of knowledge by living, making mistakes and having learnt from them.

I am glad I spent 4 years in my ajji's house during my college days. Initially I used to fight and argue with her over many things but then I learnt to see the wisdom in what she had to say. Some of her many advices were, "Trust in God, obey your elders and work very hard", "Learn to be grateful for what you have and don't grumble".

My father's favorite advice was, "When money is lost, nothing is lost. When health is lost, something is lost. When character is lost, everything is lost". Now that neither of them are around, their memories and words are my treasure.

Although their advice doesn't sound pleasant, in the long run they are proved right.