Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s12.200

v1.c3.s12.200

Gāthā in the Rigveda¹ usually means only ‘song,’ ‘verse,’ like Gātu.² In one passage,³ however, it already has a more special sense, as it is classed with Nārāśaṃsī and Raibhī, a collocation repeatedly found later.⁴ The commentators identify the three terms with certain verses of the Atharvaveda,⁵ but Oldenberg⁶ has shown that this identification is incorrect for the Rigveda. Gāthās are often mentioned elsewhere,⁷ and are referred to as metrical in the Aitareya Āraṇyaka,⁸ where the Ṛc, Kumbyā, and Gāthā are classed as forms of verse. The Aitareya Brāhmaṇa⁹ distinguishes between Ṛc and Gāthā as divine and human respectively. According to the usage of the Brāhmaṇas and the liturgical literature, as stated by the St. Petersburg Dictionary, the Gāthās are, though religious in content, distinguished from Ṛc, Yajus, and Sāman as non-Vedic--that is, are not Mantras. This view is consistent with the fact that the phrase Yajña-gāthā, meaning a verse summarizing a sacrificial usage, is not rare. The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa¹⁰ preserves several Gāthās, which generally accord with this description as epitomizing the sacrifices of famous kings, and the Maitrāyaṇī Saṃhitā¹¹ states that a Gāthā is sung at a wedding. Sometimes¹² Gāthā is qualified as Nārāśaṃsī, where it must be a eulogy of a generous donor.