19 January 2016 - QA 3

Why do young and good people die before old people? Is it karma?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

This is one of the five eternal secrets. You don’t ask me -- 'Why do unripe fruits fall off trees', or 'Why do buds fall out without blossoming'. It is a part of nature. Let us do all that we can to prevent such things, like the gardener who does all he can to stop the small coconuts from falling before they mature.

Due to disease, due to whatever reason things happen, but beyond all this there is one more step, and that is of karma. Karma is very deep, if you go deeper into it, it is mind boggling. This whole phenomenon of life is an eternal continuum and it is programmed to come at a certain time and leave at another time. All that we can do is to try to prevent mortality and then leave the rest to the divine law.
You cannot say in the beginning itself that I have left it to the divine law, and do not do anything about it. As human beings it is in our nature to do whatever we can to save.