Gāthā is aSanskrit term for 'song' or 'verse', especially referring to any poetic metre which is used in legends or folklores, and is not part of theVedas but peculiar to eitherEpic Sanskrit or toPrakrit.[1] The word is originally derived from the Sanskrit/Prakrit rootgai, which means 'to speak, sing, recite or extol', cognate to theAvestan termgatha.[2]
The stanzas of thePrakrit dialects ofArdhamagadhi,Sauraseni andPāli are known asgathas as opposed toshlokas andsutras of Sanskrit anddohas ofApabhramsha. Most of theJain andBuddhist texts written in Prakrit are composed ofgathas (or verses/stanzas).
Thus,gatha can mean any Prakrit and Paliverses in general,[3] or specifically thearya meter of Sanskrit; versified portions ofPāli Canon(Tipitaka) ofTheravāda Buddhism are also specifically calledgathas.
In contemporary Buddhist practice as popularized (and derived from theZen andTheravādin traditions) by Zen MasterThich Nhat Hanh, agatha is a verse recited (usually mentally, not aloud) in rhythm with the breath as part of mindfulness practice, either in daily life,[4][5] or as part ofmeditation or meditative study.[6]
Gatha baani in Sri Guru Granth SahibPage 1360-61