''Gāthā'' is a
Sanskrit term for 'song' or 'verse', especially referring to any poetic metre which is used in legends, and is not part of the
Vedas but peculiar to either
Epic Sanskrit or to
Prakrit. The word is originally derived from the Sanskrit/Prakrit root ''gai'', which means 'to speak, sing, recite or extol', cognate to the
Avestan
Avestan (), or historically Zend, is an umbrella term for two Old Iranian languages: Old Avestan (spoken in the 2nd millennium BCE) and Younger Avestan (spoken in the 1st millennium BCE). They are known only from their conjoined use as the scrip ...
term ''
gatha''.
The stanzas of the
Prakrit dialects of
Ardhamagadhi,
Sauraseni
Shauraseni Prakrit (, ) was a Middle Indo-Aryan language and a Dramatic Prakrit. Shauraseni was the chief language used in drama in northern medieval India. Most of the material in this language originates from the 3rd to 10th centuries, though ...
and
Pāli are known as ''gathas'' as opposed to ''
shlokas'' and
sutra
''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aph ...
s of Sanskrit and ''dohas'' of ''
Apabhramsha''. Most of the
Jain and
Buddhist texts written in Prakrit are composed of ''gathas'' (or verses/stanzas).
Thus, ''gatha'' can mean any Prakrit and Pali
verse
Verse may refer to:
Poetry
* Verse, an occasional synonym for poetry
* Verse, a metrical structure, a stanza
* Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme
* Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict me ...
s in general,
[Amaresh Datta (1988) ''Encyclopaedia of Indian literature vol. 2'' Chennai: Sahitya Academy p. 1374] or specifically the
arya meter
''Āryā meter'' is a meter used in Sanskrit, Prakrit and Marathi verses. A verse in metre is in four metrical lines called ''pāda''s. Unlike the majority of meters employed in classical Sanskrit, the meter is based on the number of s (morae) pe ...
of Sanskrit;
versified portions of
Pāli Canon ''(
Tipitaka)'' of
Theravāda Buddhism are also specifically called ''gathas''.
In contemporary Buddhist practice as popularized (and derived from the
Zen and Theravādin traditions) by Zen Master
Thich Nhat Hanh, a ''gatha'' is a verse recited (usually mentally, not aloud) in rhythm with the breath as part of mindfulness practice, either in daily life, or as part of meditation or meditative study.
[The Blooming of a Lotus: Guided Meditation Exercises for Healing and Transformation, by Thich Nhat Hanh, (Beacon Press, Boston, MA USA 1993) ]
See also
*
Dhammapada
The Dhammapada (Pāli; sa, धर्मपद, Dharmapada) is a collection of sayings of the Buddha in verse form and one of the most widely read and best known Buddhist scriptures. The original version of the Dhammapada is in the Khuddaka ...
*
Early Buddhist texts
*
Gandhāran Buddhist texts
The Gandhāran Buddhist texts are the oldest Buddhist manuscripts yet discovered, dating from about the 1st century BCE to 3rd century CE. They represent the literature of Gandharan Buddhism from present-day northwestern Pakistan and eastern Afgha ...
*
Gatha Saptashati
*
Jain Agamas
Jain literature (Sanskrit: जैन साहित्य) refers to the literature of the Jain religion. It is a vast and ancient literary tradition, which was initially transmitted orally. The oldest surviving material is contained in the ca ...
*
Jain Prakrit
*
Pāli Canon
*
Vedic meter
References
{{reflist
Buddhist poetry
Genres of poetry
Poetic rhythm
Indian poetics
Hymns
Gatha baani in Sri Guru Granth Sahib
Page 1360-61