Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 14
आगन्तव्यं च भवता समये मम पार्थिव । विनिवृत्ते दिनकरे प्रवृत्ते चोत्तरायणे,'पृथ्वीनाथ! जब सूर्यनारायण दक्षिणायनसे निवृत्त हो उत्तरायणपर आ जाये, उस समय तुम फिर हमारे पास आना”
āgantavyaṃ ca bhavatā samaye mama pārthiva | vinivṛtte dinakare pravṛtte cottarāyaṇe ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśaṃpāyana: “O hari, kailangan mong bumalik sa akin sa takdang panahon—kapag ang Araw ay tumalikod na sa timog na landas at nagsimula na ang hilagang paglalakbay (uttarāyaṇa).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes dharma as reliability: one should honor an agreed time and keep one’s commitment. It also links ethical action with ṛta (cosmic order) by marking the proper moment through the Sun’s transition to uttarāyaṇa.
Vaiśaṃpāyana addresses a king and instructs him to return at a specific, ritually significant time—when the Sun’s southern course ends and uttarāyaṇa begins—indicating a planned meeting or promised return tied to a calendrical turning point.