Mahabharata — Ashvamedhika Parva, Shloka 12
Abhimanyunidhana-prakāśaḥ — Vasudeva–Kṛṣṇa–Subhadrā–Kuntī śoka-saṃvāda
Disclosure and Consolation
अकरोत् स ततः काल॑ शरतल्पगतो मुनि: । अयनं दक्षिण हित्वा सम्प्राप्ते चोत्तरायणे
akarot sa tataḥ kālaṁ śaratālpagato muniḥ | ayanaṁ dakṣiṇaṁ hitvā samprāpte cottarāyaṇe ||
婆苏提婆说道：其后，那位卧于箭床之上的圣者，自择其逝去之时。他不在太阳行于南道（达克希那延）之际离世；唯待彼季既终、北道（乌塔罗延）来临，方才受纳死亡——显出以戒律制御时辰的自在，以及在战后余烬之中仍坚守誓行的定力。
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined self-governance: even in extreme suffering, one can uphold vows and choose the proper time for one’s final act, aligning personal conduct with a larger moral and cosmic order.
Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) explains that Bhīṣma, lying on the arrow-bed, did not relinquish life during dakṣiṇāyana; he waited until uttarāyaṇa arrived and then deliberately accepted death.