व्यवहारमयूख (नीलकण्ठ भट्ट - पश्चिमी भारत की हिन्दू न्याय-संहिता एवं व्यवहार कोष)

68] VYAVAHĀRAMAYŪKHA
Pitāmaha says :
It is the place where the arrow first fell that is to be taken, the distance
covered by its creeping is to be left out of account
*Nārada (p. 258 v 57) says
Those two who out of fifty runners would surpass in speed the others
should be appointed for the purpose of bringing the arrow
Now begins the ceremonial in sequence (of the water ordeal) The
place of water that is to be used (in this ordeal) should be a river the sea
a deep reservoir reservoir near a temple a lake or a pond the water whereof
is not agitated Scanty waters, or those that are brought artificially or that
are full of weeds, moss, waves, mud, sharks, leeches or fish or the like or
that flow rapidly, should be avoided. In such water that is navel-deep a
post of dharma made of sacrificial tree (viz khadira) should be implanted.
Near it on the western bank.(of the water) a torana (an ornamental arch
or structure) as high as the ear of the person performing ordeal should be
raised. Near it should be placed a bamboo bow of 106 angulas and three
bamboo arrows the ends of which are not made of iron. The target should
be erected in a good spot at a distance of 150 cubits from the torana Then
having worshipped the bow together with the arrows with white sandal paste
and white flowers, having invoked Varuṇa in the reservoir of water and
having worshipped him (Varuṇa),¹ having carried out (the rites) beginning
with the invocation of dharma and ending with oblations to fire that have
been already described and having tied on the head of the person to be
cleared (by ordeal) the writing containing the matter of complaint the jugde
should invoke water with the following mantra
Water! thou art the life of living beings thou wert created the first in
creation thou art declared to be the means of the purification of substances
and embodied beings therefore show thyself in (this) investigation about
righteousness and sin
Then the person (who performs the ordeal) should recite the mantra
'satyena mābhirakṣa tvaṁ Varuṇa (Yāj II 108 p 67 above) Then the person
who performs ordeal should approach the strong man who holds fast the post of
dharma who faces the east and who stands in water navel-deep. Then from
the place where the bow was kept a ¶ kṣatriya or a brāhmaṇa pursuing the
former s avocation should firmly shoot towards the target three arrows that
have no iron points. Then one swift person should stand holding the middle
arrow at the place where the arrow fell not minding the distance over which
it crept and another (equally) swift man should stand at the foot of the torana
whence the arrows were discharged. And a swift man (here) is one who

1. In the Ṛgveda and in later mythology also Varuṇa is the lord of waters. Vide
   Ṛg. VII 49 3 yāsāṁ rājā Varuṇo yāti &c.

• P, 79 (text). ¶ P 80 (text)