Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.22

v1.c3.22

(2) *The Number.*—In the Rigveda⁶ the dicer is described as ‘leader of a great horde’ (*senānīr mahato gaṇasya*), and in another passage⁷ the number is given as *tri-pañcāśaḥ*, an expression which has been variously interpreted. Ludwig,⁸ Weber,⁹ and Zimmer¹⁰ render it as fifteen, which is grammatically hardly possible. Roth¹¹ and Grassmann¹² render it as ‘consisting of fifty-three.’ Lüders¹³ takes it as ‘consisting of one hundred and fifty,’ but he points out that this may be merely a vague expression for a large number. For a small number Zimmer¹⁴ cites a reference in the Rigveda¹⁵ to one who fears ‘him who holds four’ (*caturaś cid dadamānāt*), but the sense of that passage is dependent on the view taken of the method of playing the game.