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# Skandapurana 1.4.42: adhyāyaḥ 44

Skandapurāṇa 1.4.42

- **Language:** Sanskrit

### adhyāyaḥ 44

### [1.4.42.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.1)

..arjuna uvāca..  
divyaprākāramicchāmi śrotuṃ cāhaṃ munīśvara..  
kathaṃ kāryāṇi kānīha sphuṭaṃ yaiḥ puṇyapāpakam.. 44.1 ..

> Arjuna said: / I desire to hear about the kinds of ordeals, O lord of sages; / how should they be performed, and which ones here clearly reveal merit and sin?  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.2)

..nārada uvāca..  
śapaṣāḥ pośaghaṭakau viṣāgna taptamāṣakau..  
phalaṃ ca taṃdulaṃ caiva divyānyaṣṭau vidurbudhāḥ.. 44.2 ..

> Nārada said: / The oath, sacred water, the balance, poison, fire, the heated coin, / the \[plow\]share, and grain: the wise know these as the eight ordeals.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.3)

asākṣikeṣu cārtheṣu mitho vivadamānayoḥ..  
rājadrohābhiśāpeṣu sāhaseṣu tathaiva ca.. 44.3 ..

> In matters without witnesses, where two parties dispute with each other, / in accusations of treason against the king, and likewise in reckless crimes,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.4)

avidastattvataḥ satyaṃ śapathenābhilaṃghayet..  
maharṣibhiśca devaiśca satyārthāḥ śapathāḥ kṛtāḥ.. 44.4 ..

> if he does not know the truth as it really is, he should confirm it by an oath; / for oaths to establish the truth have been undertaken by great seers and deities.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.5)

javano nṛpatiḥ kṣīṇo mithyāśapathamācaret..  
vasiṣṭhāgre varṣamadhye sānvayaḥ kila bhārata.. 44.5 ..

> A king of the Yavanas, having taken a false oath / before Vasiṣṭha, perished within a year along with his lineage, O Bhārata.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.6)

aṃdhaḥ śatrugṛhaṃ gacchedyo mithyāśapathāṃścaret..  
rauravasya svayaṃ dvāramuddhāṭayati durmatiḥ.. 44.6 ..

> Whoever takes false oaths will go blind to the house of his enemy; / the wicked-minded man opens for himself the gate of Raurava hell.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.7)

manyaṃte vai pāpakṛto na kaścitapaśyatīti naḥ..  
tāṃśca devāḥ prapaśyaṃti svasyaivāṃtarapauruṣāḥ.. 44.7 ..

> Wrongdoers indeed think: 'No one sees us'; / yet the gods, residing as the inner witness of one's own self, watch them.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.8)

ādityacaṃdrāvanilo'nalaśca dyaurbhūmirāpo hṛdayaṃ yamaśca..  
ahaśca rātriśca ubhe ca saṃdhye dharmo hi jānāti narasya vṛttam.. 44.8 ..

> The sun, the moon, wind and fire, heaven, earth, water, the heart and Yama, / day and night, both twilights, and Dharma know the conduct of man.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.9)

evaṃ tasmādabhijñāya satyarthaśapathāṃścaret..  
vṛthā hi śapathānkurvanpretya ceha vinaśyati.. 44.9 ..

> Knowing this thus, one should undertake oaths for the sake of truth; / for taking false oaths, a man is destroyed both in the hereafter and here.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.10)

idaṃ satyaṃ vadāmīti bruvansākṣī bhavānyataḥ..  
śubhāśubhaphalaṃ dehi śuciḥ pādau raveḥ svṛśet.. 44.10 ..

> Saying 'I speak this truth, wherefore you be my witness, / give me good or bad fruit', being purified, he should touch the feet of the sun.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.11](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.11)

atha śāstrasya vipro'pi śastrasyāpi ca kṣatriyaḥ..  
māṃ saṃspṛśaṃstathā vaiśyaḥ śudraḥ svagurumeva ca.. 44.11 ..

> Now, a brahmin \[should touch\] scripture, a kṣatriya a weapon, / a vaiśya touching cattle, and a śūdra his own teacher.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.12)

mātaraṃ pitaraṃ pūjyaṃ spṛśetsādhāraṇaṃ tvidam..  
kośasya rūpaṃ pūrvaṃ te vyākhyātaṃ pāṃḍunaṃdana.. 44.12 ..

> One may touch mother, father, or an elder; this is the common practice. / The nature of the sacred water was explained to you before, O son of Pāṇḍu.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.13](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.13)

vipravarjyaṃ tathā keśaṃ varṇināṃ dāpayennṛpaḥ..  
yo yo yaddevatābhaktaḥ pāyayettasya taṃ naram.. 44.13 ..

> The king should administer the sacred water to members of the castes, excluding the brahmin; / he should make that man drink \[the water\] of whatever deity he is devoted to.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.14)

samabhaktaṃ ca devānāmādityasyaiva pāyayet..  
sarveṣāṃ cogradevānāṃ snāpayedāyudhāstrakam.. 44.14 ..

> To one devoted equally to all gods, he should administer that of the sun; / and he should bathe the weapons and missiles of all fierce deities.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.15)

snānodakaṃ vā saṃkalpaṃ gṛhītvā pāyayennavam..  
trisaptarātramadhye ca phalaṃ kośasya nirdiśet.. 44.15 ..

> Taking a vow, he should make him drink the fresh bathing water; / and he should declare the result of the sacred water within three times seven nights.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.16)

ataḥ paraṃ mahādivyavidhānaṃ śrṛṇu yadbhavet..  
saṃśayacchedi sarveṣāṃ dhārṣṭyattaddivyameva ca.. 44.16 ..

> Hear further the procedure for the great ordeal that may be \[undertaken\]; / it dispels the doubts of all, and that ordeal is \[given\] in case of obstinacy.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.17)

saśiraskaṃpradātavyamiti brahmā purābravīt..  
mahogrāṇāṃ ca dātavyamaśiraskamapi sphuṭam.. 44.17 ..

> Brahmā declared of old: 'It must be administered with a penalty \[on the head\]'; / and in the case of very fierce persons, it should clearly be administered without a penalty.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.18](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.18)

sādhūnāṃ varṇināṃ rājā na śiraskaṃ pradāpayet..  
na pravātedhaṭaṃ deyaṃ noṣṇakāle hutāśanam.. 44.18 ..

> To pious men and those belonging to the castes, the king should not give \[the ordeal\] with a capital penalty; / the balance should not be given in high wind, nor fire in hot weather,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.19)

varṇināṃ ca tathā kālaṃ taṃdulaṃ mukharogiṇām.. 44.19 ..

> and \[not\] the dark \[grain\] to caste members, nor grain to those suffering from mouth disease.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.20](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.20)

kuṣṭhapittārditānāṃ ca brāhmaṇānāṃ ca no viṣam..  
taptamāṣakamarhaṃti sarve dharmyaṃ niratyayam.. 44.20 ..

> Poison is not for those afflicted with leprosy or bilious disease, nor for brahmins; / all are entitled to the heated coin, which is lawful and free from danger.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.21](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.21)

na vyādhimarake deśe śapathānkośameva ca..  
divyānyāsurakairmaṃtraiḥ staṃbhayaṃtīha kecana.. 44.21 ..

> Oaths and sacred water should not be \[given\] in a region stricken with disease and pestilence. / Some people here paralyze ordeals with demonic mantras.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.22](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.22)

pratighātavidasteṣāṃ yojayeddharmavatsalān..  
divyānāṃ stabhakāñjñātvā pāpānnityaṃ mahīpatiḥ.. 44.22 ..

> Knowing those who counteract them, he should employ those who love righteousness; / discovering the wicked paralyzers of ordeals, the king should constantly  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.23](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.23)

vivāsayetsvakādrāṣṭrātte hi lokasya kaṃṭakāḥ..  
teṣāmanveṣaṇe yatnaṃ rājā nityaṃ samācaret.. 44.23 ..

> banish them from his realm, for they are thorns to the world; / the king should always make an effort to seek them out.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.24](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.24)

te hi pāpasamācārāstaskarebhyo'pi taskarāḥ..  
prāgdṛṣṭadoṣānsvalpeṣu divyeṣu viniyojayet.. 44.24 ..

> For they are of evil conduct, worse thieves than thieves. / He should assign those whose fault was seen previously to minor ordeals,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.25](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.25)

mahatsvapi na cārtheṣu dharmajñāndharmavatsalān..  
na mithyāvacanaṃ yeṣāṃ janmaprabhṛti vidyate.. 44.25 ..

> and not those who know righteousness and love righteousness, even in great matters, / in whom no false speech has existed since their birth.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.26)

śraddadhyātpārthivasteṣāṃ vacanā deva bhārata..  
jñātvā dharmiṣṭhatāṃ rājā puruṣasya vicakṣaṇaḥ.. 44.26 ..

> A king should trust in their word alone, O Bhārata; / knowing a man's righteousness, a discerning king,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.27](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.27)

krodhāllobhātkārayaṃśca svayameva praduṣyati..  
tasmātpāpiṣu divyaṃ syāttatrādau procyate dhaṭe.. 44.27 ..

> if causing \[him to undergo an ordeal\] out of anger or greed, becomes corrupted himself. / Therefore, an ordeal should be for the wicked; among them, \[that of\] the balance is spoken of first.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.28](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.28)

susamāyāṃ pṛthivyāṃ ca digbhāge pūrvadakṣiṇe..  
yajñiyasya tu vṛkṣasya sthāpyaṃ syānmuṃḍakadvayam.. 44.28 ..

> On very level ground, in the south-eastern quarter, / two pillars of sacrificial wood should be erected.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.29](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.29)

staṃbhakasya pramāṇaṃ ca saptahastaṃ prakīrtitam..  
dvau hastau nikhanetkāṣṭhaṃ dṛśyaṃ syāddhastapaṃcakam.. 44.29 ..

> The measurement of the post is stated to be seven cubits: / he should bury two cubits of wood, and five cubits should be visible.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.30](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.30)

aṃtaraṃ tu tayoḥ kāryaṃ tathā hastacatuṣṭayam..  
muṃḍakopari kāṣṭhaṃ ca dṛḍhaṃ kuryādvicakṣaṇaḥ.. 44.30 ..

> The space between the two should be made four cubits; / and a wise man should fix a sturdy piece of wood on top of the two posts.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.31](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.31)

caturhastaṃ tulākāṣṭhamavraṇaṃ kārayetsthiram..  
khadirārjunavṛkṣāṇāṃ śiṃśapāśālajaṃ tvatha.. 44.31 ..

> He should have a balance beam of four cubits made, unblemished and firm, / of khadira, arjuna, śiṃśapā, or śāla wood.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.32](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.32)

tulākāṣṭhe tu kartavyaṃ tathā vai śikyakadvayam..  
prāṅmukho niścalaḥ kāryaḥ śucau deśe dhaṭastathā.. 44.32 ..

> Two hanging pans should be attached to the balance beam; / the balance should be made facing east and motionless in a clean place.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.33](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.33)

pāṣāṇasyāpi jāyet staṃbheṣu ca dhaṭastathā..  
vaṇiksuvarṇakāro vā kuśalaḥ kāṃsyakārakaḥ.. 44.33 ..

> The balance may also be set up with stone pillars; / a merchant, a goldsmith, or a skilled worker in bronze,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.34](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.34)

tulādhāradharaḥ kāryo ripau mitre ca yaḥ samaḥ..  
śrāvayetprāḍvivāko'pi tulādhāraṃ vicakṣaṇaḥ.. 44.34 ..

> who is impartial towards enemy and friend, should be appointed as the balance-holder; / and the learned chief judge should instruct the balance-holder:  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.35](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.35)

brahmaghne ye smṛtā lokā ye ca strībālaghātake..  
tulādhārasya te lokāstulāṃ dhārayato mṛṣā.. 44.35 ..

> 'The realms recorded for the slayer of a brahmin, and those for the killer of a woman or a child, / those realms belong to the balance-holder who holds the balance falsely.'  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.36](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.36)

ekasmiṃstolayecchikye jñātaṃ sūpoṣitaṃ naram..  
dvitīye mṛttikāṃ śubhrāṃ gaurāṃ tu tulayedbudhaḥ.. 44.36 ..

> In one pan, the wise man should weigh the well-fasted accused man; / in the second, he should balance clear, pale earth.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.37](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.37)

iṣṭikābhasmapāṣāṇakapālāsthīni varjayet..  
tolayitvā tataḥ pūrvaṃ tasmāttamavatārayet.. 44.37 ..

> He should avoid bricks, ashes, stones, potsherds, and bones; / having weighed him first, he should then take him down from it.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.38](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.38)

mūrdhni patraṃ tato nyasya nyastapatraṃ niveśayet..  
patre maṃtrastvayaṃ lekhyo yaḥ puroktaḥ śvayaṃbhuvā.. 44.38 ..

> Then, placing an inscription on his head, he should seat him with the inscription placed \[there\]; / and this mantra, spoken formerly by Svayambhū, is to be written on the leaf:  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.39](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.39)

brahmaṇastvaṃ sutā devī tulānāmneti kathyate..  
tukāro gaurave nityaṃ lakāro laghuni smṛtaḥ.. 44.39 ..

> 'You are the goddess, daughter of Brahmā, called by the name Tulā (Balance); / the syllable "tu" is remembered as always meaning weight, and the syllable "la" as lightness.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.40](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.40)

gurulāghavasaṃyogāttulā tena nigadyase..  
saṃśayānmocayasvainamabhiśastaṃ naraṃ śubhe.. 44.40 ..

> By the conjunction of heaviness and lightness, you are therefore called Tulā; / release this accused man from doubt, O auspicious one!'  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.41](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.41)

bhūya āropayettaṃ tu naraṃ tasminsapatrakam..  
tulito yadi vardheta śuddho bhavati dharmataḥ.. 44.41 ..

> He should place that man upon it again along with the leaf. / If, when weighed, he increases \[in weight\], he is pure according to dharma.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.42](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.42)

hīyamāno na śuddhaḥ syāditi dharmavido viduḥ..  
śikyacchede tulābhaṃge punarāropayennaram.. 44.42 ..

> If he decreases \[in weight\], he is not pure; so know the knowers of dharma. / If the scale-cord snaps or the balance breaks, he should place the man upon it again.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.43](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.43)

evaṃ niḥsaṃśayaṃ jñānaṃ yaccānyāyaṃ na lopayet..  
etatsarvaṃ ravau vāre kāryaṃ saṃpūjya bhāskaram.. 44.43 ..

> In this way \[there is\] knowledge free of doubt, and it does not violate justice. / All of this should be performed on a Sunday, having worshipped the Sun.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.44](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.44)

athātaḥ saṃpravakṣyāmi viṣadivyaṃ śrṛṇuṣva me.. 44.44 ..

> Now next I shall explain the poison ordeal; listen to me:  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.45](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.45)

dviprakāraṃ ca tatproktaṃ ghaṭasarpaviṣaṃ tathā..  
śṛṃgiṇo vatsanābhasya himaśailabhavasya vā.. 44.45 ..

> And it is said to be of two kinds: \[the ordeal of\] a serpent in a jar, and likewise poison / of the horned \[plant\] or of the vatsanābha plant grown on the snowy mountains.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.46](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.46)

yavāḥ sapta pradātavyā athavā ṣaḍghṛtaplutāḥ..  
mūrdhni vinyastapatrasya patre caivaṃ niveśayet.. 44.46 ..

> Seven barley-corns should be administered, or six, smeared with ghee. / After placing the written leaf on his head, he should place \[the mantra\] on the leaf thus:  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.47](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.47)

tvaṃ viṣa brahmaṇaḥ putra satyadharme vyavasthitaḥ..  
trāyasvainaṃ naraṃ pāpātsatyenāsya bhavāmṛtam.. 44.47 ..

> "You, O poison, are the son of Brahmā, established in truth and righteousness; / protect this man from sin; through truth, become nectar for him!"  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.48](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.48)

yena vegairvinā jīrṇaṃ chardimūrcchāvivarjitam..  
taṃ tu śuddhaṃ vijānīyāditi dharmavido viduḥ.. 44.48 ..

> One by whom it is digested without spasms, free from vomiting and fainting, / he should be known as pure; so know the knowers of dharma.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.49](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.49)

kṣudhitaṃ kṣudhitaḥ sarpaṃ ghaṭasthaṃ procya pūrvavat..  
saṃspṛśettālikāḥ sapta na daśecchudhyatīti saḥ.. 44.49 ..

> Hungry, he should address as before the hungry serpent in a jar; / he should touch \[it\] for seven claps; if it does not bite, he is purified.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.50](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.50)

agnidivyaṃ yathā prāha viraṃcistacchṛṇuṣva me..  
saptamaṃḍalakānkuryāddevasyāgre ravestathā.. 44.50 ..

> Listen from me to the fire ordeal as Brahmā declared it: / He should make seven circles in front of the sun god.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.51](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.51)

maṃḍalānmaṃḍalaṃ kāryaṃ pūrveṇeti viniścayaḥ..  
ṣoḍaśāṃtulakaṃ kāryaṃ maṃḍalāttāvadaṃ taram.. 44.51 ..

> Circle should be made from circle towards the east—this is the rule; / the space from one circle to the next should be sixteen angulas.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.52](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.52)

ārdravāsasamāhūya tathā caivāpyupopitam..  
kārayetsarvadivyāni devabrāhmaṇasaṃnidhau.. 44.52 ..

> Summoning \[him\] clad in wet clothes and having fasted, / he should cause all the ordeals to be performed in the presence of gods and brahmins,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.53](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.53)

pratyakṣaṃ kārayeddivyaṃ rājño vādhikṛtasya vā..  
brāhmaṇānāṃ śrutavatāṃ prakṛtīnāṃ tathaiva ca.. 44.53 ..

> before the eyes of the king or his appointed officer, / and likewise of learned brahmins and subjects.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.54](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.54)

paścime dinakāle hi prāṅmukhaḥ prāñjaliḥ śuciḥ..  
caturasre maṃḍale'nye kṛtvā caiva samau karau.. 44.54 ..

> In the western part of the day, facing east, with cupped hands, clean, / holding his two hands flat and even in another four-cornered circle,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.55](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.55)

lakṣayeyuḥ kṛtādīni hastayostasya hāriṇaḥ..  
saptāśvatthasya patrāṇi bhadhnīyuḥ karayostataḥ.. 44.55 ..

> they should examine scars and the like on the hands of that taker \[of the ordeal\]. / Then they should bind seven leaves of the holy fig tree on his two hands  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.56](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.56)

navena kṛtasūtreṇa kārpāsena dṛḍhaṃ yathā..  
tatastu susamaṃ kṛtvā aṣṭāṃgulamathāyasam.. 44.56 ..

> with a new cotton thread, firmly. / Then, making it completely smooth, an iron ball of eight angulas,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.57](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.57)

piṃḍaṃ hutāśasaṃtaptaṃ paṃcāśatpalikaṃ dṛḍham..  
ādau pūjāṃ raveḥ kṛtvā hutāśasyātha kārayet.. 44.57 ..

> weighing fifty palas, solid, heated by fire. / Having first performed worship of the Sun, he should then perform \[worship\] of the Fire  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.58](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.58)

raktacaṃdanadhūpābhyāṃ raktapuṣpaistathaiva ca..  
abhiśastasya patraṃ ca badhnīyāccaiva mūrdhani.. 44.58 ..

> with red sandalwood and incense, and likewise with red flowers. / And he should bind the leaf upon the head of the accused,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.59](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.59)

maṃtreṇānena saṃyuktaṃ brāhmaṇābhihitena ca..  
tvamagne vedāścatvārastvaṃ ca yajñeṣu hūyase.. 44.59 ..

> accompanied by this mantra uttered by a brahmin: / "You, O Fire, are the four Vedas, and you are offered in sacrifices.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.60](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.60)

pāpaṃ punāsi vai yasmāttasmātpāvaka ucyase..  
tvaṃ mukhaṃ sarvadevānāṃ tvaṃ mukhaṃ brahmavādinām.. 44.60 ..

> Because you purify sin, therefore you are called Pāvaka. / You are the mouth of all the gods; you are the mouth of the knowers of Brahman.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.61](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.61)

jaṭharastho'si bhūtānāṃ tato vetsi śubhāśubham..  
pāpeṣu darśayātmānamarciṣmānbhava pāvaka.. 44.61 ..

> You reside in the belly of living beings; therefore you know the good and the bad. / Reveal yourself in matters of sin, be blazing, O Purifier!  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.62](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.62)

athavā śuddhabhāveṣu śīto bhavamahābala..  
tato'bhiśastaḥ śanakairmaṃḍalāni parikramet.. 44.62 ..

> Or, in cases of pure intent, become cold, O mighty one!" / Then the accused should slowly pace through the circles.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.63](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.63)

parikramya śanairjahyāllohapiṃḍaṃ tataḥ kṣitau..  
vipatrahastaṃ taṃ paścātkārayedvrīhimardanam.. 44.63 ..

> Having paced through, he should slowly drop the iron ball on the ground. / Afterwards, with the leaves removed from his hands, he should make him rub grains of unhusked rice.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.64](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.64)

nirvikārau karau dṛṣṭvā śuddho bhavati dharmataḥ..  
bhayādvā pātayedyastu tadadho vā vibhāvyate.. 44.64 ..

> Having seen that his hands are uninjured, he is pure according to dharma. / But if through fear he drops \[it\], or if \[a burn\] is observed under it,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.65](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.65)

punastvāhārayellohaṃ vidhireṣa prakīrtitaḥ..  
athātaḥ saṃpraaivakṣyāmi taptamāṣavidhiṃ śrṛṇu.. 44.65 ..

> he should make him take the iron again; this is the prescribed rule declared. / Now next I shall explain: hear the rule of the heated bean.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.66](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.66)

kārayedāyasaṃ pātraṃ tāmraṃ vā ṣoḍaśāṃgulam..  
caturaṃgulakhātaṃ tu mṛnmayaṃ vāpi kārayet.. 44.66 ..

> He should cause a vessel to be made of iron or copper, sixteen angulas \[wide\], / with a depth of four angulas, or he may make it of clay.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.67](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.67)

pūrayed‌ghṛtatailābhyāṃ palairviśatibhistataḥ..  
sutapte nikṣipettatra suvarṇasya tu māṣakam.. 44.67 ..

> Then he should fill it with twenty palas of ghee and oil. / When it is well heated, he should drop a golden bean into it.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.68](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.68)

vahnyuktaṃ vinyasenmaṃtramabhiśastasya mūrdhani..  
aṃguṣṭhāṃguliyogena taptamāṣaṃ samuddharet.. 44.68 ..

> He should place the mantra prescribed for Fire upon the head of the accused. / With the thumb and fingers, he should take out the heated bean.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.69](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.69)

śuddhaṃ jñeyamasaṃdigdhaṃ visphoṭādivivarjitam..  
phālaśuddhiṃ pravakṣyāmi tāṃ śrṛṇu tvaṃ dhanaṃjaya.. 44.69 ..

> If it is free of blisters and the like, he should be known as pure beyond doubt. / I shall explain the plowshare ordeal; hear that, O Dhanaṃjaya!  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.70](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.70)

āyasaṃ dvādaśapalaṃ ghaṭitaṃ phālamucyate..  
aṣṭāṃgulamadīrghaṃ ca caturaṃgulavistṛtam.. 44.70 ..

> An iron plowshare forged to twelve palas is prescribed, / eight angulas in length and four angulas in width.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.71](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.71)

vahnyuktaṃ vinyasenmaṃtramabhiśastasya mūrdhani..  
triḥparāvartayejjihvā lihannasmātṣaḍaṃgulam.. 44.71 ..

> He should place the mantra prescribed for Fire upon the head of the accused. / He should turn his tongue over three times, licking six angulas from it.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.72](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.72)

gavāṃ kṣīraṃ pradātavyaṃ jihvāśodhanamuttamam..  
jihvāparīkṣaṇaṃ kuryāddagdhā cenna tu vimocyate.. 44.72 ..

> Cow's milk should be given, the best purifier of the tongue. / He should conduct an examination of the tongue; if it is burned, he is not cleared;  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.73](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.73)

taṃ viśuddhaṃ vijānīyādviśuddhā cettu jāyate..  
taṃdulasyātha vakṣyāmi vidhidharmaṃ sanātanam.. 44.73 ..

> if it proves to be unblemished, he should know him to be purified. / Now I will speak of the eternal rule and law of the rice grain.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.74](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.74)

caurye tu taṃdulā deyā na cānyatra kathaṃcana..  
taṃdulānudake siktvā rātrau tatraiva sthāpayet.. 44.74 ..

> Grains of rice are to be given in theft, and never in any other case. / Having sprinkled the grains with water, he should leave them there overnight.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.75](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.75)

prabhāte kāriṇe deyā bhakṣaṇāya na saṃśayaḥ..  
triḥkaॉtvaḥ prāṅ‌mukhaścaiva patre niṣṭhīvayettataḥ.. 44.75 ..

> In the morning, they must without doubt be given to the accused to eat. / Then, facing east, he should spit \[them out\] onto a leaf three times: 44.75  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.76](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.76)

pippalasyātha bhūrjasya na tvanyasya kathaṃcana..  
tāṃstu vai kārayecchuddhāṃstaṃdulāñchālisaṃbhavān.. 44.76 ..

> either of a pippala tree or of a birch, but never of any other. / One must have those clean grains of rice taken from śāli rice, 44.76  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.77](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.77)

mṛnmaye bhājane kṛtvā savituḥ purataḥ sthitaḥ..  
tandulānmaṃtrayecchuddhānmantreṇānena dharmataḥ.. 44.77 ..

> placed in an earthen vessel, and standing before the Sun, / one should consecrate the pure grains of rice with this mantra according to dharma: 44.77  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.78](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.78)

dīyase dharmatattvajñairmānuṣāṇāṃ viśodhanam..  
stutastandula satyena dharmatastrātumarhasi.. 44.78 ..

> ‘You are given by those who know the truth of dharma as the purifier of human beings. / Praised, O grain of rice, you ought in truth to protect \[him\] through dharma.’ 44.78  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.79](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.79)

niṣṭhīvane kṛte teṣāṃ savituḥ purataḥ sthite..  
śoṇitaṃ dṛśyate yasya tamaśuddhaṃ vinirdiśet.. 44.79 ..

> When they have been spat out while he stands before the Sun, / he on whose \[grains\] blood is seen, him one should declare impure. 44.79  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.80](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.80)

evamaṣṭavidhaṃ divyaṃ pāpasaṃśayacchedanam..  
bhaṭṭādityasya purato jāyate kurunaṃdana.. 44.80 ..

> Thus the eightfold divine ordeal which cuts away doubt about sin / takes place before Bhaṭṭāditya, O joy of the Kurus. 44.80  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.81](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.81)

jaladivyaṃ tathā prāhurdviprakāraṃ purāvidaḥ..  
jalahastaṃ smṛtaṃ caikaṃ majjanaṃ cāparaṃ viduḥ.. 44.81 ..

> Likewise, those who know antiquity speak of the water-ordeal as being of two kinds: / one is remembered as the ‘water-hand’ \[ordeal\], and the other they know as immersion. 44.81  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.82](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.82)

bāṇakṣepastathādānaṃ yāvadvīryavatā kṛtam..  
tāvattaṃ majjayejjīvettathā tacchuddhimādiśet.. 44.82 ..

> For as long as the discharge of an arrow and its retrieval are performed by a strong man, / for that long one should keep him immersed; if he survives, one should accordingly declare his purity. 44.82  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.83](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.83)

evaṃvidhamidaṃ sthānaṃ bhaṭṭādityasya bhārata..  
mamaiva kṛpayā bhānorjātametanmahītale.. 44.83 ..

> Such is this holy place of Bhaṭṭāditya, O Bhārata; / it was produced on the face of the earth solely through my grace and the Sun’s. 44.83  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [1.4.42.83\_1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42.83_1)

iti śrīskāṃde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ prathame māheśvarakhaṇḍe kaumārikākhaṇḍe bhaṭṭādityamāhātmye divyavarṇanaṃnāma catuścatvāriṃśo'dhyāyaḥ.. 44 .. cha ..

> Thus ends the forty-fourth chapter, named ‘Description of the Divine Ordeals,’ in the glorification of Bhaṭṭāditya, in the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa of the first \[section\], the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa of eighty-one thousand verses. 44.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

## Translations (1)

- [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda~en-mt.1.4.42.1) — English, machine translation

## Linked texts (2)

- [Agnipurāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.agni.254.45) — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
- [Rājanītiprakāśa (Mitramiśra)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.niti.dharma.rajadharma.rajanitiprakasa.2.p97) — Mitramiśra, Sanskrit

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Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.1.4.42) · Pramāṇa