When the body stops cooperating, when there is no chance of recovery, do not perform treatments on me -Dr. Lopa Mehta
Dr. Lopa Mehta was a professor at GS Medical College in Mumbai, where she served as the head of the Anatomy Department. At the age of 78, she wrote a living will. In it, she clearly stated… “When the body stops cooperating, when there is no chance of recovery, do not perform treatments on me. No ventilators, no tubes, no unnecessary hospital commotion. My final moments should pass peacefully.
Wisdom should take precedence over the stubborn insistence on treatments.” Dr. Lopa not only wrote this document but also published a research paper on death. In it, she clarified that death is a natural, inevitable, and biological process.
According to her argument, modern medicine has never viewed death as an independent concept. Medicine always assumes that death results from some disease, and by treating that disease, death can be prevented.
But physiology is far more profound than that.
She argues… the body is not a machine that runs continuously. It is a limited system with a specific amount of vital energy. This energy does not come from some stored tank but from the subtle body.
This subtle body is something everyone experiences but cannot see. It is a system composed of the mind, intellect, memories, and consciousness.
This subtle body acts like a gateway for vital energy. This energy spreads throughout the body, keeping it alive. The heartbeat, digestion, and the ability to think all depend on it.
But this energy is not infinite.
Each body has a specific amount of it. Like a fixed battery in a machine, it cannot be increased or decreased.
“As much as Rama winds the key, that’s how much the doll dances”… as the saying goes.
Dr. Lopa wrote that when this energy in the body is depleted, the subtle body separates from the physical body. At that moment, the body becomes still. We call this “the life force has left.” This process is not related to any disease or any fault. It is the internal rhythm of the body.
This begins in the womb, progresses, and culminates in death. This energy is constantly being spent every moment. Every cell, every organ completes its lifespan. And when the entire body’s “quota” is exhausted, the body comes to rest peacefully.
The moment of death is not measured by a clock. It is a biological time. It is different for each individual.
For some, life is complete in 35 years, for others in 90 years. But both complete their full journey.
If we do not see it as a defeat or something forced, no one dies incomplete.
According to Dr. Lopa, when modern medicine stubbornly tries to prevent death, not only the patient’s body but the entire family becomes exhausted. The cost of a month in the ICU for a breath can sometimes destroy a lifetime of savings.
Relatives keep saying, “There’s still hope,” but the patient’s body has long been saying, “Enough.”
That’s why she wrote… “When my time comes, just take me to KEM Hospital. I trust they won’t intervene unnecessarily. They won’t cause prolonged suffering in the name of treatment. Do not stop my body. Let it go.”
But the question is… have we made such a decision for ourselves?
Will our family respect that wish? And will those who respect it be respected in society?
Do our hospitals honor such wishes, or is a bill issued for every breath, and are accusations made for every death?
This is not so simple. Balancing logic and emotions is perhaps the most difficult task.
If we learn to see death as a peaceful, inevitable process arising from the body’s internal rhythm, perhaps the fear of death will lessen, and our expectations from doctors will become more realistic.
In my opinion, we should stop fighting death and instead prepare to live before it.
And when that moment comes… face it peacefully, with dignity.
In the words of the Buddha — death is the next stage in the journey of life. No science can make it eternal.
That’s why we must be able to observe this true state.
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