Anayasena: Essays on Death, Medicine, and Ancient Wisdom
Anayasena (अनायासेन): without struggle, effortlessly.
It’s a Sanskrit word from an ancient prayer whispered in temples across India: Grant me a life of dignity and a death without suffering.
This six-part series explores what modern medicine can learn from ancient wisdom about dying well, living with dignity, and letting go with grace.
As a physician, I’ve stood at many bedsides as the monitors went flat. I’ve guided families through difficult choices about ventilators, CPR, and comfort care. I’ve carried questions that medical college training never answered:
How do I know when we’re extending life versus prolonging dying?
When does fighting death become cruelty?
How do families live with the weight of these decisions?
The answers came from unexpected teachers: a patient who taught me about ripeness, a Sanskrit prayer about cucumbers and vines, 13-day mourning ceremonies that structure grief with ancient precision, and death rituals from cultures around the world.
This series is my attempt to bridge those worlds: the ICU and the temple & clinical medicine and timeless human wisdom.
It’s written for families facing end-of-life decisions, physicians carrying the moral weight of these choices, and anyone grappling with the concept of mortality.
The journey moves from crisis to teaching to practice. From the questions that haunt us to the wisdom that might answer them. From understanding death philosophically to preparing for it practically.
Read the series in order for the complete journey, or explore individual essays as they speak to you.
How Do I Know I’m Right?
Shashikiran UmakanthThe Weight We Carry This is Part 1 of a 6-part series on death, dignity, and what medicine can learn from ancient wisdom. • The son wants everything done. The daughter wants comfort care. The wife hasn’t spoken in two days. I’m standing at the foot of the ICU bed,…
When the Body Knows
Shashikiran UmakanthThe Cucumber, the Vine, and Ripeness This is Part 2 of a 6-part series on death, dignity, and what medicine can learn from ancient wisdom. • The wisdom found me a week later. I’m standing in the corridor outside the ICU, discussing with my residents about Mrs. Shantha. Eighty-two, chronic…
“Anayasena” Series
This article is part of the six-part series that explores what modern medicine can learn from ancient wisdom about dying well, living with dignity, and letting go with grace.
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- How Do I Know I’m Right? The weight of end-of-life decisions
- When the Body Knows. The cucumber, the vine, and ripeness
- The Prayer I Whisper. Anayasena Maranam and dignity in dying
- What the World Taught Me. Ancient wisdom across cultures
- The Conversation Nobody Wants to Have. Guidance for families facing end-of-life decisions
- The Weight Doctors Carry. The practice physicians need for end-of-life care
This series is being published between February and March 2026.
For more essays bridging medicine and meaning, explore the Medicine & Meaning section.
