28 On Ordeals. [No. 1, 



" In order to avoid defects, the proceedings with all their details 

 should be repeated, in the same manner (as before)." 



Now follows the description of the proceeding. 



The person who has to conduct the ordeal goes, on an auspicious day, 

 to one of the before-mentioned trees and cuts it, whilst reciting the 

 Mantra : " plant, protect me." Then he mutters (the verse), " Somo- 

 dhenum" (R. V. I. 91-20) — Grautama is its Rishi, Soma the deity, the 

 metre is Trishtubh, and the manner of its recitation is Japa (muttering) 

 Somoclhenum, etc — , and (the verse), " Vanaspate (RV III. 8, 11") its 

 Rishi is Vicvamitra, the son of Gradhi, its deity Vanaspati, its metre 

 Trishtubh, the manner of reciting it is Japa, " Vanaspati catavakah, 

 etc." Then he worships the guardians of the world, Indra and the rest, 

 each separately, and makes the scale-beam four hastas long, four fingers 

 thick, four-cornered in the middle, and at both ends four ringers thicker, 

 and in the middle fitted with a hook or ring which is turned upwards, 

 and at each end with a grapple or ring which is turned downwards. 



Some (lawyers) say, that he then should make an altar, seven or 

 five hastas long and four fingers high. Then he shall there or in 

 another clean place dig into the earth, two hastas deep, two four- 

 cornered posts six hastas long, and surmounted by tops. Above 

 the earth will remain four hastas (of the posts), besides the top portion ; 

 the distance between those two posts should be two hastas or one 

 hasta and a half. Between the two tops he shall place a piece of the 

 wood which is fitted with a grapple (lit. crab), a ring, a hook or the 

 like instrument turned downwards, for fastening the scale-beam to it. 

 From that (beam) hangs the scale-beam with its upper hook or ring 

 or the like, and two boards should be tied to the ends (of the beam), 

 each with three strings. Having dug into the earth a pair of posts, 

 (the one) to the south (the other) to the north, at a distance of two 

 hands (from each other), at the eastern end, of the scale-beam, he shall 

 place a joining-piece over them. This is the arch (torana) and that 

 should be ten fingers higher than the balance. He shall make an (arch) 

 of this kind also on the western side of the scale-beam. In order to know 

 if the scales are even, he must make two mason's plummets, of clay, 

 in the shape of balls, hanging down from the arches, tied to them 

 by strings, and touching the ends of the scale-beam. He shall spread on 

 the scales Kuca-grass blades with their tops turned to the east. Then 



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