In the ancient wisdom of the Agni Purāṇa, the rules of justice and truth are laid out with great clarity and reverence. False witnesses, it is said, bear the same guilt and punishment as those who commit perjury. Therefore, witnesses must always be called to testify in the presence of both the plaintiff and the defendant, ensuring fairness and transparency. Those who commit grave sins—arsonists, murderers of women and children—are destined for terrible worlds after death. Remarkably, the same fate awaits anyone who gives false testimony. Whatever merit such a person may have gathered over hundreds of lifetimes is utterly lost if victory in court is achieved through lies. When the opinions of many differ, it is the view of those with the greatest virtue that should be upheld. If virtue is equally balanced, the testimony of the more virtuous individuals must be accepted, and the party whose witnesses swear a true oath will prevail. Conversely, if a party’s witnesses are less virtuous, defeat is certain. Even if witnesses have already spoken, the word of those with greater virtue takes precedence. Should later witnesses, being twice as numerous, contradict earlier testimony, the original witnesses are deemed false. Forgers and false witnesses are to be punished separately. In disputes, a double fine is prescribed; and if a Brahmin, after being summoned, hides the truth, he should be banished, for such concealment is darkness. He must pay an eightfold fine, and banishment is again prescribed for Brahmins. For false testimony by anyone, imprisonment is the penalty. Whenever both parties agree on a matter, it must be documented with witnesses, always naming the lender first. The written record should include the debtor’s name, caste, lineage, and family, along with the names of his fellow students and relatives, and the ancestral marks at the beginning. When the matter is settled, the debtor should sign his name in his own hand, affirming, “This is the opinion of my son so-and-so.” The witness, too, must write his father’s name and family, stating, “I, so-and-so, am a witness,” unless there is a valid reason not to. If the debtor cannot write, he should declare his intention aloud, and a witness or another person, in the presence of all witnesses, should record it. At the end, the scribe should write, “Written by so-and-so, at the request of both parties.” Even without witnesses, a document written in one’s own hand is valid evidence in all cases, except when obtained by force or fraud. A debt established by such a document should be paid by three persons; a pledged item may be enjoyed until it is returned. If the document is in another country, unreadable, lost, erased, stolen, broken, torn, or burned, a new document must be prepared. To resolve doubts, the handwritten document should be supported by logical reasoning, proper procedure, marks of action, connection, and cause. On the back of the document, it should be noted that the debtor has entered the debt; and when the creditor receives payment, he must give a receipt marked with his own hand. After payment, the document should be torn, and a new one made for further clarification. If witnesses are present, the transaction should be completed in their presence. For purification in cases of major accusation, the balance, fire, water, poison, and the chest are prescribed as ordeals, especially when the accuser is at the head. Either party may choose to undergo the ordeal, and the other will place his head as a pledge. Even without an ordeal, it may be used in cases of treason or grave crime. One should not bear the plough from a thousand, nor the balance, nor poison; in royal cases, only the pure should always undergo the ordeal. For a thousand, the balance and other ordeals, and the chest even for a small amount, should be administered. For half a hundred, the pure should undergo it, but the impure should be penalized. The accused, summoned, bathed and clothed, fasting at sunrise, must undergo the ordeal in the presence of the king and a Brahmin. The balance is used for women, children, the aged, the blind, the lame, Brahmins, and the sick; fire or water for a Shudra; seven grains of barley or poison as well. The accused, skilled in bearing the balance, is placed upon it, made equal to the counterweight, and after marking the line, is lowered. The sun, moon, wind, fire, sky, earth, waters, heart, and Yama, along with day and night, both twilights, and Dharma, all know a person’s conduct. Addressing the scale, one should say, “You are the abode of truth, O scale, created by the gods in ancient times; speak the truth, O auspicious one, and free me from doubt. If I am a sinner, O mother, then lead me downward; but if I am pure, carry me upward.” For the fire ordeal, after marking the hands with pressed rice, seven leaves of the aśvattha tree are bound to them with a thread. Addressing the fire, the accused declares, “You alone, O Fire, move within all beings; as a witness to virtue and sin, declare the truth for me.” Then, an iron lump weighing fifty palas, glowing like fire, is placed equally in both hands. The accused must slowly walk through seven circles, each sixteen finger-breadths apart. If, after passing through the fire, the pressed rice remains unburnt, the accused is deemed pure; but if the lump falls or there is doubt, the trial should be repeated. The oath is recited: “O purifier of purifiers, cleanse what is to be cleansed, O Fire; protect me with truth, O Varuṇa.” For the water ordeal, the accused stands in water up to the navel, grasps his thighs, and enters the water. At the same time, an arrow is released, and the accused must swiftly fetch it. If, while submerged, his body is seen, he attains purity. Addressing poison, the accused says, “You are poison, O son of Brahmā, established in the law of truth. Protect me from the blow of this curse; by truth, let me be immortal.” Having said this, O Śārṅga, the accused must eat the sacred poison from the Himālaya. Thus, the Agni Purāṇa outlines with unwavering clarity the solemn processes by which truth is tested and justice is upheld, ensuring that virtue and righteousness guide every decision.