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290 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
number of the Cowries thus cast and fallen with their face upwards or downwards, as agreed upon, was exactly divisible by four then the sacrificer was declared to have won; but if otherwise he was defeated. With the grain thus won, four Brahmans used to be fed on the day of sacrifice.”
Professor Eggling’s references [1] to the Vedic literature leave no doubt about the prevalence of the game of dice almost from the earliest time. It is also clear from his references that the game was played with five dice four of which were called Krita while the fifth was called Kali. He also points out that there were various modes in which the game was played and says that according to the earliest mode of playing the game, if all the dice fell uniformly with the marked sides either upwards or downwards then the player won the game. The game of dice formed part of the Rajasuya and also of the sacrificial ceremony connected with the establishment of the sacred fire.
These terms—Krita, Treta, Dwapara and Kali—were also used in Mathematics. This is clear from the following passage from Abbayadevasuri’s Commentary on Bhagvati Sutra a voluminous work on Jaina religion.
“In mathematical terminology an even number is called ‘Yugma’, and an odd number ‘Ojah’. Here there are, however, two numbers deserving of the name ‘Yugma’ and two numbers deserving of the name ‘Ojah’. Still, by the word ‘Yugma’ four Yugmas i.e., four numbers are meant. Of them i.e., Krita-yugma: Krita means accomplished, i.e., complete, for the reason that there is no other number after four, which bears a separate name (i.e., a name different from the four names Krita and others). That number which is not incomplete like Tryoja and other numbers, and which is a special even number is Kritayugma. As to Tryoja: that particular odd number which is uneven from above a Krityugma is Tryoja. As the Dwaparayugma:—That number which is another even number like Krityugma, but different from it and which is measured by two from the beginning or from above a Krityugma is Dwaparayugma— Dvapara is a special grammatical word. As to Kalyoja:—That special uneven number which is odd by Kali, i.e., to a Kritayugma is called Kalyoja. That number etc. which even divided by four, ends in complete division, Krityugma. In the series of numbers, the number four, though it need not be divided by four because it is itself four, is also called Krityugma.”
Shamshastry [2] mentions another sense in which these terms are used. According to him, they are used to mean the Parvas of those names,
1 See his note on the subject in his edition of Satpatha Brahmana. Vol. IV p. 107.
2 Shamshastry, Drapsa pp. 92-93