गाथा

See also: गाथ and गूथ

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• gāthā (Latin script)
• 𑀕𑀸𑀣𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• গাথা (Bengali script)
• ගාථා (Sinhalese script)
• ဂါထာ or ၷႃထႃ (Burmese script)
• คาถา (Thai script)
• ᨣᩤᨳᩣ (Tai Tham script)
• ຄາຖາ (Lao script)
• គាថា (Khmer script)
• 𑄉𑄂𑄗𑄂 (Chakma script)

Noun

गाथा f

1. Devanagari script form of gāthā

Declension

Declension table of "गाथा" (feminine)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	गाथा (gāthā)	गाथायो (gāthāyo) or गाथा (gāthā)
Accusative (second)	गाथं (gāthaṃ)	गाथायो (gāthāyo) or गाथा (gāthā)
Instrumental (third)	गाथाय (gāthāya)	गाथाहि (gāthāhi) or गाथाभि (gāthābhi)
Dative (fourth)	गाथाय (gāthāya)	गाथानं (gāthānaṃ)
Ablative (fifth)	गाथाय (gāthāya)	गाथाहि (gāthāhi) or गाथाभि (gāthābhi)
Genitive (sixth)	गाथाय (gāthāya)	गाथानं (gāthānaṃ)
Locative (seventh)	गाथाय (gāthāya) or गाथायं (gāthāyaṃ)	गाथासु (gāthāsu)
Vocative (calling)	गाथे (gāthe)	गाथायो (gāthāyo) or गाथा (gāthā)

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

• गाथ (gāthá)

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• গাথা (Assamese script)
• ᬕᬵᬣᬵ (Balinese script)
• গাথা (Bengali script)
• 𑰐𑰯𑰞𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀕𑀸𑀣𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• ဂါထာ (Burmese script)
• ગાથા (Gujarati script)
• ਗਾਥਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌗𑌾𑌥𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦒꦴꦡꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂏𑂰𑂟𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ಗಾಥಾ (Kannada script)
• គាថា (Khmer script)
• ຄາຖາ (Lao script)
• ഗാഥാ (Malayalam script)
• ᡤᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᡨᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘐𑘰𑘞𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᠺᠠᢗᠲᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦰𑧑𑦾𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐐𑐵𑐠𑐵 (Newa script)
• ଗାଥା (Odia script)
• ꢔꢵꢢꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆓𑆳𑆡𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖐𑖯𑖞𑖯 (Siddham script)
• ගාථා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩞𑩛𑩬𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚌𑚭𑚚𑚭 (Takri script)
• க³ாத²ா (Tamil script)
• గాథా (Telugu script)
• คาถา (Thai script)
• གཱ་ཐཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒑𑒰𑒟𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨍𑨊𑨚𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *gáHtʰaH, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *gáHtʰaH. Cognate with Avestan 𐬔𐬁𐬚𐬁 (gāθā, “form of strophe, metre, namely the collections of Zarathustra's songs”). The same PII root *gaH- gave the Sanskrit verb गायति (gāyati, “to sing”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɡɑ́ː.tʰɑː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɑː.t̪ʰɑː/

Noun

गाथा • (gā́thā) stem, f (root गै)

1. verse, stanza (especially one which is neither ऋच् (ṛc), nor सामन् (sāman), nor यजुस् (yajus), a verse not belonging to the Vedas, but to the epic poetry of legends or आख्यान (ākhyāna)s, such as the Śunaḥśepa-ākhyāna or the Suparṇādhyāya)
2. the metrical part of a sūtra
3. name of the āryā metre
4. any metre not enumerated in the regular treatises on prosody (compare ऋग्गाथा (ṛg-gāthā), ऋजुगाथ (ṛju-gātha), यज्ञगाथा (yajña-gāthā))

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of गाथा

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	गाथा (gā́thā)	गाथे (gā́the)	गाथाः (gā́thāḥ)
vocative	गाथे (gā́the)	गाथे (gā́the)	गाथाः (gā́thāḥ)
accusative	गाथाम् (gā́thām)	गाथे (gā́the)	गाथाः (gā́thāḥ)
instrumental	गाथया (gā́thayā) गाथा¹ (gā́thā¹)	गाथाभ्याम् (gā́thābhyām)	गाथाभिः (gā́thābhiḥ)
dative	गाथायै (gā́thāyai)	गाथाभ्याम् (gā́thābhyām)	गाथाभ्यः (gā́thābhyaḥ)
ablative	गाथायाः (gā́thāyāḥ) गाथायै² (gā́thāyai²)	गाथाभ्याम् (gā́thābhyām)	गाथाभ्यः (gā́thābhyaḥ)
genitive	गाथायाः (gā́thāyāḥ) गाथायै² (gā́thāyai²)	गाथयोः (gā́thayoḥ)	गाथानाम् (gā́thānām)
locative	गाथायाम् (gā́thāyām)	गाथयोः (gā́thayoḥ)	गाथासु (gā́thāsu)

• ¹Vedic
• ²Brāhmaṇas

Related terms

• गाथ (gāthá)
• गाथिन् (gāthín)

Descendants

• Assamese: গাথা (gatha)
• Bengali: গাথা (gatha)
• → Malayalam: ഗാഥ (gātha)
• Kalasha: ghọ̃
• Marathi: गाथा (gāthā)
• Odia: ଗାଥା (gāthā)
• Pali: gāthā
• → Telugu: గాథ (gātha)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “गाथा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 352, column 2.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 484