Part 14 - The Gāthā Dialect

The use of gāthā as the narrative account in the RV is strikingly important Winternitz made his position clear by mentioning that the gāthās of the Śunaḥ-śepha-ākhyāna (RV1.24-30) pronounced by ṛṣi Śunaḥ -śepha, son of Ajīgarta and that by the same ṛṣi IX. 3 were apparently later in the RV. However the metrical structure in the gāthās relating to the ākhyāna was different from those of the Upaniṣads. The account of Śunaḥ-śepha is also traceable in the later Brāhmaṇa texts, gāthās, induced occasionally to narrate an incident.

In this regard a question may arise whether the ākhyāna, itihāsa, purāṇas of the Brāhmaṇas descended from the ancient gāthās. Similarly, the nārāśaṃsī gāthā in the Vedic society may support the contention that gāthā verses took a new shape from its dialectic Specimens of the literary form. In this regard M. Winternitz (1927: 314) observes: "The 'Songs in praise of men' (gāthā nārāśaṃsī) are often mentioned beside the Itihāsas, Purāṇas among the texts which are pleasing to the gods. These songs are connected on the one hand with the Dānastutis of the Ṛg -Veda and the Kuntāpa hymns of the Atharvaveda but on the other hand they are the direct precursors of the actual Heroic Epic itself, for their contents are the glorious deeds of the warriors and princes."

Lastly, an intermediate position between religious and secular poetry is occupied by those hymns, which are connected with so called Dānastutis (1.126.1-7), "Songs of praise to Generosity" (namely, that of the princes and patrons of the sacrifice, for whom the songs were composed). There are about forty such hymns. In the growth of Vedic literature and the creation of the great epics Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa, the gāthā nārāśaṃsī or narānārāśaṃsā the songs in praise of men; had been prevalent in the Vedic society as distinct form the ṛk in praise of the divinities devatā in plurality.

Winternitz (1993:314) found a link between the Vedic gāthā, bard poetry, with the BSL texts as cited below.

"At the end of the Gaṇḍvyūha, both in manuscripts and in Chinese and Tibetan translations, we find the Bhadracari-pranidhāna-gāthāh, 'the prayer Verses concerning the Pious Life' a prayer in 62 melodious Dodhaka stanzas, which ranks among the most beautiful expressions of Buddhist piety, and has been used for purposes of worship in all countries of Mahāyāna^[1] Buddhism ever since the 4th century A.D. It is also found as an independent text, and was translated into Chinese several times in the 4th and 8^th centuries and into Tibetan in the 9th century. The language is a Prākṛt with a strong leaning towards Sanskrit."

Lexiconically ‘bard’ refers to 'Celtic' minstrel who was the precursors of English poetry. In the ancient Indian context, a band of neither songsters not always learned nor Vedic seers, either mundane of spiritual, used to compose in verse narrations. The Sanskrit word sūta referred to a songster who is not might be acquainted with the Vedic hymns. Presumably in the Vedic tradition a band of singers of the Vedic mantra used to accompany the seers in course of a yajña as udgātri. Moreover, a section of popular ākhyānavid, narrator of episode, used to move around since the Vedic ages as sooth -sayers. All of them probably used to recite verses with the prescribed ārcika tune or not. Moreover in the Vedic communities, group singers used to sing songs and those were known as grāma-geya-gāna as distinct form the Vedic ṛk or rcikagāna for yanja rituals.

Gāthā is, therefore, a wide term, which had been used by the Vedic yājnika ashramikas and occasionally by non-Vedic songsters. Maurice Winternitz has elaborately discussed the 'Gāthā' in his 'History of Indian Literature'. The Rāmāyaṇa composed by Valmiki also begins with verse that was not gāthā, but a śloka. That is said to be the first metrical verse in classical Sanskrit or saṃskṛta-bhāṣā. An important transmission in Sanskrit from the Vedic literature to the Classic Sanskrit Literature thus came forth in the passage of time. [see notes below]

The word prākṛt is traditionally defined as that which has originated out of Prākṛti. Here Prākṛt probably suggests Sanskritid. But this definition appears to be incomplete, because some affinity with Prākṛt may be traced in the Vedic language, which scholars accept is not homogeneous. The Mantrasṃhita, or the portion in metres, had many instances of Prākṛt words. It is generally presumed that Prākṛt was a wide term referring to speech used by ordinary person and Vedic seers obviously, could not overlook such words.

About the possibility of the original Jātakani in Khuddaka Nikāya being in verse, as already mentioned, in the early days, before the introduction of writings scriptures, oral verses and songs had been popular. When the Vedic seers experienced the revelation, the expressions might have been in metrical forms.

It may be presumed that popular legends had been around since the ancient days in prose and verse under the general label ākhyāna, tale with allusion. Winternitz (1929: 214-5) refers to an occasion in which the hotara used to recite an RV with Om and adhvaryu in response to a gāthā concluding it tatha to a gahga. This may refer to the viniyaga application the Vedic mantra together with in a yajña ritual. In the Vedic rituals recitation of gāthā was common.

Winternitz observes: "Thus the daily recitation of legends of gods and heroes belonged to the preliminary celebration, which lasted a whole year, of the great horse-sacrifice. In a regular succession which repeated itself every ten days, stories of certain gods and heroes were related., and also two luteplayers, a Brāhmaṇa and a warrior, were present, who, in verses of their own composition (gāthā), glorified the generosity and the warlike deeds, respectively, of the prince who was celebrating the sacrifice. "

He goes on to add: "The gāthās are composed in middle Indian dialect, which has therefore been called "Gāthā dialect". But this term is not quite appropriate, as the same dialect is found also in prose portions, and even whole prose works are written in it. It is an old, Indian dialect, which through the insertion of Sanskrit terms and other Sanskritisms, in a rather crude manner, tries to approach Sanskrit, wherefore Senart suggested for it the designation "Mixed Sanskrit".”(1929: 47-48). In the subsequent Vedic text like Aitareya -Brāhmaṇa instance of gāthā may be found as the śunaḥ śepha dkhyana.

Attention may be drawn to the RV first mandala śukta 126 and the tenth mandala, which appear to be distinct in structure and contents as well. The meters are popular Tṛiṣtubh, Anuṣṭubh and Jagati.

It is already stated that RV which is accepted as an earliest specimen of the Indian literature was not always restricted to the invocation of physical and cosmic divinities. Several śuktas dealt with wordly matters related to secular aspects. Those were presumably accepted by a section of Vedic seers. The metrical gāthā were composed to cover both worldly matters and of spiritual attainment.

Notes regarding Rāmāyaṇa:

It was in the days when King Seniya, i. e. Śrenika Bimbisāra, reigned in the Magadha city of Rājapura. Now in the city of Kundagrāma the Jina Mahāvīra was born as the son of Prince Siddhārtha and his consort Triśalā; at the age of 30 years he left his home, and attained to perfect knowledge. Once Mahāvīra preached a sermon upon souls and transmigration, on the Vipula hill in the presence of gods, men and animals. Among those present was king Seniya. When the latter had returned home, he dreamed about the Jina, and the next morning he made the following reflection: "How is it possible that the demon heroes in all their mighty strength were defeated by the monkeys? And the demons with Rāvaṇa at their head, which, according to the Jaina faith, were certainly of noble descent, are said to have eaten meat! Then again it is said that, in spite of all the disturbances, Rāvaṇa's brother Kumbhakarṇa slept for half a year, and then after his awakening, devoured elephants, etc., where upon he again slumbered for half a year. Then again Indra, though he rules over gods, and men, is said to have been taken captive to Laṅkā by Rāvaṇa! At that rate we might as well affirm that the gazelle, the elephant or the dog, overcomes the lion. These Rāmāyaṇa stories are most certainly lines:

In order to obtain enlightenment on these matters, the king with his retinue repairs to Goyama, and tells him that the absurdities which are related regarding Rāma, Rāvaṇa, and others were not worthy of belief. Goyama declares his willingness to impart to the king that which Mahāvīra himself proclaimed, for that which bad poets relate about Rāvaṇa, is indeed lies. I shall instruct you first as to place and time, and then as to the lives of the great men"(III, 14- 17).

The narrative begins (III, 18) as in a Purāṇa, with a description of the universe and the history of Rsabha, the first Jina, who lived in the Krta age, when there were only three castes, Ksatriyas, Vaiśyas and Śūdras. The origin of the Vidyādhars, "holders of spells," a kind of demi gods, is related (III, 144ff.; cf: V, 13ff.), also the origin of the Brahmins (IV, 64 ff.), of the Iksvāku dynasty and the dynasty of the moon (V, I ff.). Then comes the history of the second Jina with  all manner of preliminary stories (V, 48 ff). The story of the "race of monkeys " is told in Canto VI. On the monkey island there is the city of Kiskindhāpura. "The monkeys" are in reality a race of Vidyādharas, which is so-called, because it has monkeys by way of a badge on the arches of gates, banners, and the like. Canto VII treats of India, of the guardians of the universe, Soma, Varuṇa, Kubera and Yama, the Asuras, Yakṣas etc., Vaiśramana (who is distinct from Kubera) and the birth of Rāvaṇa, his sister Candramukhā and his brothers Bhānukarna and Vibhīsaṇa. Rāvaṇa and his brothers acquire enormous magic powers by virtue of asceticism. The Rākṣasas, whose prince Rāvaṇa is, are not man -eating demons, however, but adherents of the race of the Vidyādharas. Rāvaṇa's mother hangs around his neck a wondrous string of pearls, in which his face is reflected nine times, hence his epithet of Daśamukha, "the man with ten faces " (VII, 95f.) The succeeding cantos tell of all manner of heroic deeds of Rāvaṇa. This Rāvaṇa is a great devotee of the Jinas; he restores ruined Jina shrines, and established the Jina faith (XI, 1ff.). Winternitz. 1993: 470 - 471.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The whole of the Buddhist Sanskrit literature discussed so far belongs to the borderland which forms the transition between Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna Buddhism. We shall now turn to those works, which belong entirely to the Mahāyāna. We are scarcely justified in regarding this as an attempt at a classification of " the Mahāyāna Canon." The so-called "nine Dharmas " are not the canon of any sect, but a series of books which were compiled at different times and which belonged to different sects, but which, at the present day, are all held in great honour in Nepal. The titles of these nine books are: Aṣṭasāhasrikā-prajñā-pāramitā, Saddharma-puṇdarīka, Lalitavistara, Laṇkāvatāra or Saddharma-Laṇkāvatāra, Suvarṇaprabhāsa, Gaṇḍavyūha, Tathāgataguhyka or Tathāgataguṇa-jñāna, Samādhirāja and Daśabhūmīśvara. All these works are also called Vaipulya -Sūtras. (Winternitz, 1993: 282 - 283,)