harikatha · noun — A form of Hindu religious discourse in which the storyteller explores a religious theme, usually the life of a saint or a story from an Indian epic. It carries an Arena rating of 1442, earned across 30 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, harikatha ranks #1,035 of 17,165 for Most Beautiful Words, #2,623 of 17,195 for Most Exacting Words, #3,119 of 17,146 for Most Storied Words, #4,114 of 17,163 for Most Sublime Words.
Why “harikatha” is a great word
A narrative performance of devotional storytelling, weaving exposition, song, and dramatic recitation to expound upon religious themes from the epics or the lives of saints. Its name derives from Sanskrit हरि (hari, “Hari, a name for Vishnu”) + कथा (kathā, “story, tale”). Unlike *kirtan*, which centers on ecstatic call-and-response singing, or *upanyasa*, a formal scholarly exegesis, *harikatha* is a holistic performance—part theater, part sermon, part concert. It is the single oil lamp illuminating the storyteller’s face as he shifts from a thundering impersonation of a demon king to a trembling whisper of a devotee’s prayer; the rhythm of a handheld cymbal punctuating a tale of divine mischief; and the sudden, collective intake of breath as a familiar epic turns toward an unexpected moral—a practiced reminder that doctrine lives most vividly not on the page, but in the shared breath of its telling.
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Etymology
From Sanskrit हरि (hari, “Hari”) + कथा (kathā, “story”).
noun
- A form of Hindu religious discourse in which the storyteller explores a religious theme, usually the life of a saint or a story from an Indian epic.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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