Continuing my effort in understanding life, my thoughts about a news story I read this morning ..
A doctor dies of a stroke while treating patients.
Did he not have time for preventive health checkups? Perhaps he did—and being a doctor, he may well have undergone them.
But the deeper truth of life is this – preventive health checks can only help you live as long as your Prarabdha karma permits.
Does that mean skipping health checkups will shorten one’s life? Not necessarily. One will live as long as Prarabdha karma allows. If undergoing a preventive checkup is necessary for the body to survive until that destined time, then circumstances will unfold in such a way that the checkup happens.
When Ramana Maharishi was diagnosed with cancer, he accepted it as a natural cause for the body’s dissolution. The body, when its time has come, will find a reason to depart—when Prarabdha is exhausted.
Spiritual wisdom lies in recognizing this distinction – the body is perishable, but the Self is eternal. True understanding is to disidentify from the body and awaken to the immortal Self.
Easier said than done. Yet, spiritual practices can guide us toward realizing life’s deeper truths, helping us accept life as it unfolds and making the journey a bit smoother and more meaningful.