The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c23.19

v1.c23.19

The nine ordeals are as follows, arranged in the order chosen by Bṛhaspati (XIX, 4): the balance, fire, water, poison, sacred libation, grains of rice, hot gold-piece, ploughshare, and the ordeal by Dharma and Adharma. When Professor Jolly says that no one of these can be judged later than any other on the ground that the growth from two to five and then to nine ordeals does not necessarily imply that one named later did not exist before the two named first, he exaggerates the probabilities. Is it likely, for example, that the ordeal by Dharma and Adharma is as old as that by fire and water³?