Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 82
बाणक्षेपस्तथादानं यावद्वीर्यवता कृतम् । तावत्तं मज्जयेज्जीवेत्तथा तच्छुद्धिमादिशेत्
bāṇakṣepastathādānaṃ yāvadvīryavatā kṛtam | tāvattaṃ majjayejjīvettathā tacchuddhimādiśet
وبقدر ما يستطيع رجل قوي أن يرمي سهماً ثم يعود (ومعه السهم)، فبمثل تلك المدة يُبقَى مُغموراً في الماء؛ فإن بقي حيّاً أُعلنَت طهارته على ذلك الوجه.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), by Mahēśvarakhaṇḍa context
Scene: A controlled ordeal at a riverbank: an archer demonstrates the benchmark by shooting an arrow; attendants time the interval while the accused is held submerged; elders prepare to pronounce śuddhi if he emerges alive.
FAQs
The text frames judgment as rule-governed and witnessed by dharma; endurance becomes a formal criterion for clearing suspicion.
This procedural rule is taught within the Bhaṭṭāditya-sthala account where divya rites are said to operate reliably.
In the submersion-type water ordeal, the duration is measured by the time it takes a strong man to cast (and return with) an arrow; survival indicates purification.