Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 24
ते हि पापसमाचारास्तस्करेभ्योऽपि तस्कराः । प्राग्दृष्टदोषान्स्वल्पेषु दिव्येषु विनियोजयेत्
te hi pāpasamācārāstaskarebhyo'pi taskarāḥ | prāgdṛṣṭadoṣānsvalpeṣu divyeṣu viniyojayet
Sesungguhnya mereka yang berkelakuan dosa itu adalah pencuri, bahkan lebih daripada pencuri. Raja hendaklah menempatkan mereka yang telah diketahui kesalahannya sejak awal hanya pada ujian ilahi yang kecil, menurut kecacatan yang telah diperhatikan.
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.