Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 56
युधिष्ठिर उवाच । सरस्वती महापुण्या नदीनामुत्तमा नदी श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । राजन्नाश्वयुजे मासि दशम्यां तद्विशिष्यते । पार्थिवेषु च तीर्थे तु सर्वेष्वेव न संशयः
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | sarasvatī mahāpuṇyā nadīnāmuttamā nadī śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | rājannāśvayuje māsi daśamyāṃ tadviśiṣyate | pārthiveṣu ca tīrthe tu sarveṣveva na saṃśayaḥ
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: Sarasvatī ist höchst heilig, die beste unter den Flüssen. Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: O König, diese Tīrtha-Übung wird besonders am zehnten Tag des Monats Āśvayuja ausgezeichnet; ja, unter allen irdischen Tīrthas, ohne Zweifel.
Yudhiṣṭhira (question) and Mārkaṇḍeya (reply)
Tirtha: Sarasvatī
Type: river
Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira
Scene: Dialogue tableau: Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully questioning; sage Mārkaṇḍeya responding, with Sarasvatī river personified nearby holding vīṇā and lotus; a calendar motif highlighting Āśvayuja daśamī.
FAQs
Pilgrimage merit is heightened by sacred timing; the Purāṇa teaches aligning devotion with auspicious tithis.
The passage continues the Daśāśvamedha-tīrtha praise, while also generalizing its excellence among earthly tīrthas.
The tenth lunar day (daśamī) in Āśvayuja/Āśvina is stated to be especially efficacious for tīrtha-related practice.