Lavanya

She was a very dear friend in school. At first, she was acting only like a close friend. And while all the tme I was trying to impress Archana, she was trying to impress me. I didn't notice it for some time and I kind of used the good relations with her as a way of getting the attention of Archana. I did get it, not just Archana's but also the whole class. I wouldn't call myself manipulative. Lavanya was an extrovert but she wasn't exactly a beauty though a few guys considered her hot. She had a good heart. Actually, I didn't find a single one whom I could call as crooked. It was an age of innocence. Even Swami and Harish had a good nature behind their snobbish attitude. A couple of times I have wondered if I got ditched by Archana because of Lavanya's curse. I don't think so. Maybe she would have shouted at me behind my back but not to the extent of cursing me. I miss her friendship.

Vishwanath was an amazing and handsome guy. A gem. There was this circle of friends who used to hang out together as a group. At such an young age, they made a statement of style by being together in everything. If there is one thing that I have not had the fortune of, it is to belong to a group of tight-knit college friends. I had invested a lot in Archana in college that I didn't seek such friends.

I'm beginning to feel like how I was in the last year of my school in 92-93. This time I hope to play my cards right but I wonder if I have any control over it. Presented with the same options again, I would choose differently in a thing or two. But I don't know what those one or two things are.

Getting Wisdom in the internet age

I do this by an adaptation of a verse in the Bhgavad Gita (4:34)

"Learn thou this by discipleship, by investigation, and by service. The wise, seers of the essence of things, will instruct thee in wisdom."

I read a chapter of the Bhagavad Gita daily. It's said in the Varaha Purana that someone who reads like this is like a body guard. It looks like a truth because the chapters are all a source of wisdom, is practical, continues like a thread and has a reality check. While reading, I note down the difficult areas or terms for trying to find the meaning further.


I'm not in any regular disciplic succession. The Guru that I have, my counselor, isn't really interested in it. So I treat all the spiritual souls on the internet as my Guru. So I say the following Guru mantra to find the meaning from search engines.

"Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnur
Guru Devo Maheshwaraha
Guru Saakshaath Para Brahman
Thasmai Shri Guruve Namaha."

Is it really necessary to say the mantra? I say it to make a contract that I'm going to have an open mind while reading it. It's not just a fancy ritual. Those who write articles or take part in the forums dealing with spirituality, atleast momentarily become Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara and the Para Brahman. It's proper that one gives recognition to them as such and also declare that the wisdom gained is because of their benevolence.

Once that is done, the next step is to ask repeated questions. Suppose one doesn't understand a term or a sentence or a passage in the scripture and reads an article which gives an explanation. But it will likely, atleast in the initial stages, open a Pandora's box of other such terms, sentences and passages. So one has to go an search again. The good thing is generally it takes a few searches to get a query clarified and that is the triumph of the day!

Slowly and steadily, when one reads the scripture daily, more will get clarified and after some point, the essence of the Wisdom that the text conveys, would have been understood. It might look as if one has understood all that is there in the scripture but big scriptures like the Gita, the Bible, the Koran etc. can give new meanings with each reading. For example, when someone patiently had finished reading the Gita for 18 days, when he or she reads the 1st chapter, he or she will find a new thing that was not known before. A new meaning might result from the experience that one has had in the 18 days. He or she might have misread or mispronounced a word which had given a completely different meaning. He or she might be even noticing a term for the first time, even though the passage has been read many times.

After all this, it's important to do something good for the 'Guru' materialistically. 'Gurus' or those who engage in contemplating spiritual things have lost valuable time that they could have used for earning money through a worldly pursuit. It is a duty for the disciple to compensate for this loss by giving back something concrete and materialistic. When I go to my counselor, I do it by giving the session fees. On the internet, one can do to some extent by sending a thank you note or taking part in the forums and answering the questions others has posed or sharing the article to make it popular and thereby increase website visitors leading to advertisement clicks or donating some money if there is a Donate button.

This is no different than learning science or maths at school but people have to really do the 3 things (pay tribute to the Guru, ask repeated questions and do service back) to make the process fulfilling and complete. I have told this in the context of Hinduism but I believe that other religions recommend formally or informally the same thing.