युधिष्ठिरकृष्णसंवादः — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Appeal and Kṛṣṇa’s Assurance
Droṇa-parva, Adhyāya 59
नाहीयत तदा प्राण: प्राणिनां न तदन््यथा
nāhīyata tadā prāṇaḥ prāṇināṁ na tad anyathā
Then the life-breath of living beings did not depart; it could not be otherwise. Nārada underscores an inescapable principle: when a higher ordinance or destined protection prevails, death does not occur, and events unfold according to that overriding order rather than ordinary expectation.
नारद उवाच