Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 82
बाणक्षेपस्तथादानं यावद्वीर्यवता कृतम् । तावत्तं मज्जयेज्जीवेत्तथा तच्छुद्धिमादिशेत्
bāṇakṣepastathādānaṃ yāvadvīryavatā kṛtam | tāvattaṃ majjayejjīvettathā tacchuddhimādiśet
For as long as a strong man can shoot an arrow and return (with it), for that duration one should keep him submerged; if he remains alive, one should declare his purity accordingly.
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.