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

with seven as'vattha ( fig tree ) leaves and made red hot. This holds
good when ( the person undergoing the ordeal ) is weak ( and not able to
carry a heavy ball of 50 palas ). The iron ball is to be heated thrice
as declared by Nārada ( p 109 v 290 ) 'when heated by the third
heating. Having first heated it and then plunged it into water
having again heated it and plunged it in water when it is being
heated again ( a third time ) the judge should perform ( all the details
described above ) beginning with the invocation of fire and ending with
placing the writing on the head ( of the person performing the ordeal )'
Here Pitāmaha declares a special rule as to the worship of fire
The king should cause the worship of fire to be made with red sandal,
red incense and red flowers
Hārīta says
( He ) should stand facing the east stretching out the fingers of his
hand with wet garments, pure and with the leaf ( or writing ) placed
on his head
The word s'odhya ( the person to be cleared of guilt by ordeal ) is to be
understood here Pitāmaha says
He should stand in the first circle facing the east with folded hands
and purified
*Nārada ( p 110 v 301 ) says
He should make red marks on all sores of the hands ( of the person
undergoing ordeal ) and should examine them again ( after the ordeal )
to see whether they ( the hands ) are marked with the identical dots.
Yājñavalkya ( II 103 ) says
Having marked the hands of the person on which grains of rice
have been rubbed he should cover them ( the hands ) with seven leaves
of the as'vattha ( fig ) tree and should fasten round them as many threads
( i e seven )
Vijñānes'vara holds that the word 'tāvat' is an adverb and that the mean-
ing is that he should pass the thread ( round the leaves ) seven times while
Madana holds that the meaning is that he should pass round ( the leaves ) only
once a string of seven threads, the word tāvatsūtra ( being a single com-
pound word and ) meaning a bundle of as many threads ( as seven )
Pitāmaha says
He should place on the hands ( of the person to be cleared ) seven
Pippala leaves auspicious grains of rice flowers and curds and there is
also to be a fastening of threads round ( all )
P 72 (text) Hariṇapāda (or-pada) means hiṅgulaka ( vermilion )