ए॑का च मे तिस्र॑श्च मे प॑ञ्च च मे सप्त॑ च मे न॑व च म ए॑कादश च मे त्र॑योदश च मे प॑ञ्चदश च मे सप्त॑दश च मे न॑वदश च म ए॑कविंशतिश्च मे त्र॑योविंशतिश्च मे प॑ञ्चविंशतिश्च मे सप्त॑विंशतिश्च मे न॑वविंशतिश्च म ए॑कत्रिंशच्च मे त्र॑यस्त्रिंशच्च मे।
च॑तस्रश्च मेऽष्टौ॑ च मे द्वा॑दश च मे षो॑डश च मे विंशति॑श्च मे च॑तुर्विंशतिश्च मेऽष्टा॑विंशतिश्च मे द्वा॑त्रिंशच्च मे ष॑ट्त्रिंशच्च मे चत्वारिंश॑च्च मे च॑तुश्चत्वारिंशच्च मेऽष्टाचत्वारिंशच्च मे॥
—तैत्तिरीयसं॑हिता 4.7.11
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वाजसनेयसं॑हिता 18.24–26, मैत्रायणसं॑हिता 2.11.6, and काठकसं॑हिता 18.12 have similar sentences.
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Translation: "One for me, three for me, five for me, seven for me, nine for me, eleven for me, thirteen for me, fifteen for me, seventeen for me, nineteen for me, twenty-one for me, twenty-three for me, twenty-five for me, twenty-seven for me, twenty-nine for me, thirty-one for me, thirty-three for me. Four for me, eight for me, twelve for me, sixteen for me, twenty for me, twenty-four for me, twenty-eight for me, thirty-two for me, thirty-six for me, forty for me, forty-four for me, forty-eight for me."
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Word-by-word: I won't bother today; the grammar is very straightforward.
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छ॑न्दस्/Meter: None
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Ritual context: This formula is recited during the piling of the fire-altar (अग्निच॑यन).
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Interpretation: The number-filled passage seems quite mysterious and uninterpretable at first glance, but is explained later in तैत्तिरीयसं॑हिता 5.4.8.5. It seems that "one and three are the meters of the Gods", while "four and eight are the meters of men", and by offering these verses, he wins the meters of Gods and men for himself ("for me"). He offers up to thirty-three because there are thirty-three Gods, and he thereby wins Their favor; he offers up to forty-eight because the ज॑गती meter (which we saw in yesterday's verse) has forty-eight syllables. The ज॑गती is apparently associated with cattle, so the sacrificer wins cattle by offering up to forty-eight.
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Passages like this show the importance of fine ritual details and their symbolism in the Vedic religion, as well as the importance placed by the आ॑र्यs on meter and proper syllable-counts.
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