Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

दशमीदिवसे तस्य रात्रौ च गजपृष्ठिगः । दुन्दुभिस्ताड्यमानस्तु बभ्राम सकलं पुरम्

Transliteration

daśamīdivase tasya rātrau ca gajapṛṣṭhigaḥ | dundubhistāḍyamānastu babhrāma sakalaṃ puram

Translation

Le jour de sa Daśamī, et aussi la nuit, juché sur le dos d’un éléphant, tandis que résonnaient les tambours dundubhi, il parcourut la cité entière.

Word by Word

• दशमीदिवसे: on the tenth day
• दशमीदिवसे: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशमी + दिवस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; ‘दशम्याः दिवसः’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (वैकल्पिक रूप)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• गजपृष्ठिगः: one who was on an elephant’s back
• गजपृष्ठिगः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज + पृष्ठ + ग (प्रातिपदिक; ग=गः ‘going/being on’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; ‘गजस्य पृष्ठे गः’ (सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थ) = elephant-back rider

• दुन्दुभिः: by a drum
• दुन्दुभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुन्दुभि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• ताड्यमानः: being beaten/played (i.e., the drum being struck)
• ताड्यमानः: Sambandha/Modifier (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ताड्यमान (कृदन्त; √ताड् (ताडँ) आघाते, कर्मणि वर्तमानकाले शानच्/मान-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि वर्तमानकृदन्त (present passive participle)

• तु: indeed, however
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• बभ्राम: wandered, roamed
• बभ्राम: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भ्रम् (भ्रमँ) चलने
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• सकलम्: entire, whole
• सकलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सकल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; ‘पुरम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• पुरम्: city
• पुरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Skanda Purāṇa narrative voice; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night-time royal procession: Indradyumna on an elephant, torchlight, drummers beating dundubhis, moving through decorated streets and bazaars.

Characters & Entities

• Daśamī
• Gaja (elephant)
• Dundubhi (drum)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Public celebration of dharma—processions and communal observance—strengthens collective devotion and sacred order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse describes a city-wide event but does not name the city or a particular tīrtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A Daśamī observance marked by a ceremonial city procession.