妙法蓮華經玄義 6.93

6.93

偈陀者，有四種。如言《法華》有阿閦婆等偈，《涅槃》二萬五千偈。是則偈經，復是通總。若四句為偈，一字一句，得名為經。非一字一句，皆名為偈。但以聖言巧妙，章句成就，數句為偈，故通得名偈。二、除脩多羅餘四句為偈。三、偈中重頌者，名祇夜，當知不重頌偈，名為偈經。四、如脩多羅通總，隨事剋分，別為異部，以直說為脩多羅。當知偈中亦隨事剋分，若授記因緣等，別為異部，以不隨事，直爾偈說，名為偈經。

Regarding gāthās, there are four kinds. As when it is said that the *Lotus Sūtra* has akṣobhya gāthās and the *Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra* has twenty-five thousand gāthās: here the verse scripture is again general and comprehensive. If four phrases make a verse, a single character or a single phrase can be named a scripture, but not every single character or phrase is called a verse. Only because the holy words are skillful and the sentences and phrases are complete, an aggregation of phrases makes a verse; hence it is generally named a verse. Second, apart from sūtras, the remaining four phrases are verses. Third, among verses, those that reiterate in recitation are called geya; one should know that verses that do not reiterate are called verse scriptures (gāthā). Fourth, just as sūtras are general and comprehensive and are specifically distinguished according to events into separate divisions, with direct expositions taken as sūtras, one should know that within verses they are also specifically distinguished according to events: if vyākaraṇa, nidāna, and so on are separated into different divisions, then those that do not follow events but are simply spoken in verse are named verse scriptures.