Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 24
ते हि पापसमाचारास्तस्करेभ्योऽपि तस्कराः । प्राग्दृष्टदोषान्स्वल्पेषु दिव्येषु विनियोजयेत्
te hi pāpasamācārāstaskarebhyo'pi taskarāḥ | prāgdṛṣṭadoṣānsvalpeṣu divyeṣu viniyojayet
Denn solche Männer, deren Wandel sündhaft ist, sind Diebe, ja mehr als Diebe. Der König soll diejenigen, deren Verfehlungen bereits bekannt sind, nur zu geringeren göttlichen Ordalien heranziehen, gemäß den zuvor erkannten Fehlern.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced for Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Scene: A courtroom tableau with two sets of ordeals: minor implements on one side, major on the other; scribes record prior offenses; the king points to the minor ordeal for a known wrongdoer while dharmic elders nod, emphasizing measured justice.
FAQs
Dharma requires discernment: punishment and testing should match a person’s proven conduct, not mere suspicion.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it focuses on rājadharma and judicial procedure.
It refers to using minor ‘divya’ ordeals (divya-parīkṣā) for those with previously established faults.