The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c23.21

v1.c23.21

The ordeal by ploughshare is especially for those suspected of stealing cattle; the piece of heated gold is reserved for cases involving a theft ‘over four hundred’; that by poison, for one worth a thousand, etc. All such restrictions are late emendations and additions. In the fire-test one carries a hot iron ball, and if unburned is innocent. In the water-test, one plunges under water and to prove innocence must remain under as long as it takes for a dart, shot at the moment of diving, to be brought back. These two are alterations of old material, in which the accused walks through fire, as in epic tests, or is thrown into water to see if he drown. The balance is an easy ordeal and hence is used in the case of priests and women. It consists in seeing whether the accused weigh less or more the second time the test is made; if heavier, one is guilty. Probably the weight of sin weighs one down. So in the Mahābhārata, when a truth-telling man lies, his chariot begins to sink.