26. The Ordeal of the Hot Piece of Gold

The Minor Law Books (SBE33), by Julius Jolly, [1889], at sacred-texts.com

26. The Ordeal of the Hot Piece of Gold.

343. ³⁴³ Now I shall give a description of the ordeal of the hot piece of gold, which has been ordained by Brahman himself for the purpose of distinguishing virtue from vice.

* 344. (The judge), after having cleansed himself, shall quickly pour clarified butter into a golden, silver, iron, or earthen vessel, and shall place the vessel on the fire.

* 345. He shall throw into it a shining coin, made k of gold, silver, copper, or iron, after having washed it in water more than once.

* 346. ³⁴⁶ Should (the coin) ever drop into the boiling (mixture), it would be a very dangerous thing to touch him (the fire?). Therefore he must address the clarified butter with the following prayer:

* 347. ‘Thou art the best instrument of purification, O clarified butter, and (comparable to) Ambrosia

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at a sacrifice. Burn this man at once if he is criminal, and be as cold as ice to him if he is innocent.’

* 348. ³⁴⁸ If, on touching and examining the forefinger (of the defendant) it is found to be unhurt and to show no boils, he is innocent. Otherwise, he is not (innocent).

Footnotes

119:343 343-348. The ordeal of the hot piece of gold (Taptamâsha) derives its name from the gold coin (mâsha) or signet-ring (mudrikâ), which those who are tried by this ordeal are required to pick out of a vessel filled with a boiling liquid, with the thumb and forefinger. They are declared innocent, if the hand remains unhurt.

119:346 The reading of the first half of this paragraph is quite uncertain, and the above rendering conjectural.

120:348 Some writers refer to two further ordeals, besides the seven kinds mentioned by Nârada. One of them is the ordeal of the red-hot ploughshare, which the defendant is made to lick. The other consists of drawing lots.