Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 74
चौर्ये तु तंदुला देया न चान्यत्र कथंचन । तंदुलानुदके सिक्त्वा रात्रौ तत्रैव स्थापयेत्
caurye tu taṃdulā deyā na cānyatra kathaṃcana | taṃdulānudake siktvā rātrau tatraiva sthāpayet
Bei einem Diebstahlsfall sollen Reiskörner (taṇḍula) gegeben und verwendet werden, keinesfalls etwas anderes. Nachdem man die Reiskörner mit Wasser besprengt hat, soll man sie dort über Nacht stehen lassen.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), by Mahēśvarakhaṇḍa context
Scene: A tray of rice-grains is sprinkled with water and placed in a designated spot for the night, guarded or left under ritual watch, preparing for the dawn test in a theft case.
FAQs
Dharma requires careful, rule-bound means for resolving suspicion; purity tests must follow prescribed restraints rather than arbitrary methods.
The broader passage points to Bhaṭṭāditya’s sacred presence/place, before whom the divya (ordeal) is performed.
Use only rice-grains, sprinkle them with water, and keep them in that place overnight as part of a theft-related divya procedure.