gatha means A poem or mantra, especially one recited mentally as part of meditation or mindfulness practice. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 85 out of 100.
Why “gatha” is a great word
GATHA — [Noun] A metrical hymn or sacred verse, particularly one of the seventeen hymns composed by Zoroaster in the Avesta, or a similar structured poem used as a mantra in meditation. From Sanskrit गाथा (gāthā, "song, verse"), from the Proto-Indo-Iranian root *gaHtʰáH, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʰeh₂- ("to sing, call"). Unlike a mantra—a formulaic utterance prized for its sonic power—or a sutra—a condensed doctrinal aphorism—a gatha is a complete, rhythmic vessel of revelation. It is the measured footfall of a prophet on the high plains, the woven cadence of a priest’s chant in a fire-lit hall, and the deliberate breath of a meditator in the cool dawn—a testament that the oldest theology was not doctrine, but a song remembered by the bones.
noun
- A poem or mantra, especially one recited mentally as part of meditation or mindfulness practice.
- Any of the 17 hymns included in the Avesta believed to have been composed by Zoroaster himself.