DICE AND AGRICULTURE 29 meant the communal land of a tribe. The Ra§tra-bhrt mantras of Tait-tiriya Samhita (III.4.8) were a ritual to gain a phratry or clan share in the tribal land. But the text has been invariably interpreted as a ritual to gain a kingdom or a village.® Method of Drawing Lots But the dice described by the Atharva-veda are not the dice with which gamblers played. Panini's rule II. 1.10 (Aksa-salaka-sankhya^ parinu) provides the clue. It gives salaka as a synonym of ak§a, i. e., die. !§alaka means a grass blade. The solution of this hitherto inexplicable problem is provided by the Buddhist sangha: 1 At that time the Samgha's store-room was over-full of clothes. They told this thing to the Blessed One. 'I prescribe, 0 Bhikkhus, that they should be distributed by the assembled Samgha.5 At that time the whole Samgha, when distributing the clothes, made a bustle. They told this thing to the Blessed One. 'I prescribe, 0 Bhikkhus, that you appoint a Bhikkhu possessed of the following five qualities, to distribute the clothes: (a person) who does not go in ihe evil course of lust, in the evil course of hatred, in the evil course of delusion, in the evil course of fear, and who knows what is laid by and what is not. 'And you ought, 0 Bhikkhus, to appoint (such a Bhikkhu) in this way: First, that Bhikkhu must be asked (to accept the commission). When he has been asked, let a learned, competent Bhikkhu proclaim the following fiatti (proposal) before the Samgha: "Let the Samgha, reverend Sirs, hear me. If the Samgha is ready, let the Samgha appoint the Bhikkhu N N to distribute the robes (presented to the Samgha). This is iiatti. Let the Samgha, reverend Sirs, hear me. The Samgha appoints the Bhikkhu N N to distribute the robes (presented). Let any one of the venerable brethren who is in favour of our appointing the Bhikkhu N N to distribute the robes (presented), be silent, and any one who is not in favour of it, speak. The Bhikkhu N N has been appointed by the Samgha to distribute the robes (presented). The Samgha is in favour of it, therefore are you silent, thus I undersrand.55 2 Now the Bhikkhus appointed to distribute the clothes thought: 'In what way are we to distribute the clothes?5 They told this thing to the Blessed One. ; 'I prescribe, 0 Bhikkhus, that you first assort the clothes, estimate them, share them according to their higher or lower value, then count the Bhikkhus, divide them into troops, and divide the portions of cloth (accordingly).5 4 Now the Bhikkhus, who were to distribute the clothes, thought: 'How arc we to assign the portions of cloth (to the single Bhikkhus),