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
മോഷണക്കേസിൽ തണ്ഡുലം (അരി കണങ്ങൾ) മാത്രമേ നൽകാവൂ; മറ്റൊന്നും ഒരിക്കലുമല്ല. തണ്ഡുലങ്ങളിൽ വെള്ളം തളിച്ച്, രാത്രി മുഴുവൻ അവിടെ തന്നെയിടണം.
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.