Katha, Kathā, Kaṭha: 33 definitions
Introduction:
Katha means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit, the history of ancient India, Marathi, Hindi, biology. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
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In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
1) Kaṭha (कठ).—Ekārṣeyas.*
- * Matsya-purāṇa 200. 3.
2) Kathā (कथा).—Of Kāma and Keśava to be narrated in madanadvādaśīvrata.*
- * Matsya-purāṇa 7. 14.

The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology)
Kathā (कथा) refers to “historical narrations”, according to the Bṛhatsaṃhitā (chapter 1), an encyclopedic Sanskrit work written by Varāhamihira mainly focusing on the science of ancient Indian astronomy astronomy (Jyotiṣa).—Accordingly, “[...] In my work on Astronomy, I have treated of the rising and setting of the planets as well as their retrograde and reretrograde motions and the like. In my work on Horoscopy, I have fully treated of nativity, of yātrā and of marriage. In the present treatise, I have rejected questions and re-questions, historical narrations [i.e., kathā], unimportant planetary phenomena and all that is useless; and my purpose is to speak clearly only of the vital truths of the several subjects treated of”.

Jyotisha (ज्योतिष, jyotiṣa or jyotish) refers to ‘astronomy’ or “Vedic astrology” and represents the fifth of the six Vedangas (additional sciences to be studied along with the Vedas). Jyotisha concerns itself with the study and prediction of the movements of celestial bodies, in order to calculate the auspicious time for rituals and ceremonies.
Shaiva philosophy
Kathā (कथा) refers to a “discourse”, according to Svacchandatantroddyota, vol. VI, 98 (alluding to Nyāyasūtra 1.2.1).—Accordingly, “Debate (vāda), which comprehends both the thesis and the antithesis, [and] which is a discourse of [people] (kathā-rūpa) who are free of bias [...]”
Shaiva philosophy is a spritiual tradition within Hinduism that includes theories such as the relationship between the Atman (individual soul) and Siva, the nature of liberation (moksha), and the concepts of maya (illusion) and shakti (divine energy). Saiva philosophy teaches that union with Shiva can be achieved through knowledge, devotion, and spiritual practice. It encompasses major branches like Shaiva Siddhanta and Kashmir Shaivism.
Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)
Kathā (कथा) refers to the “Lord’s stories”, according to the Nirodhalakṣaṇa (lit. “characteristics of restraint”) written by Śrī Vallabhācārya for his disciples.—For devotees who manage to perform both the service (seva) and recitation of the Lord’s stories (kathā) while living in their homes, renunciation of household life becomes unnecessary. This is because, through the constant repetition of service and stories as previously described, they achieve forgetfulness of the material world and firm attachment to the Lord. This is the primary guideline.

Vaishnava (वैष्णव, vaiṣṇava) or vaishnavism (vaiṣṇavism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshipping Vishnu as the supreme Lord. Similar to the Shaktism and Shaivism traditions, Vaishnavism also developed as an individual movement, famous for its exposition of the dashavatara (‘ten avatars of Vishnu’).
Vedanta (school of philosophy)
Kathā (कथा) refers to “talks” (regarding goals/yoga/knowledge” (which a true Yogī is not concerned with), according to the Aṣṭāvakragītā (5th century BC), an ancient text on spirituality dealing with Advaita-Vedānta topics.—Accordingly, [as Janaka says to Aṣṭavakra]: “Using the tweezers of the knowledge of the truth I have managed to extract the painful thorn of endless opinions from the recesses of my heart. [...] For me remaining in myself, there is no need for talk (kathā) of the three goals of life, of Yoga or of knowledge [alaṃ trivargakathayā yogasya kathayā'pyalam | alaṃ vijñānakathayā viśrāntasya mamātmani]”.

Vedanta (वेदान्त, vedānta) refers to a school of orthodox Hindu philosophy (astika), drawing its subject-matter from the Upanishads. There are a number of sub-schools of Vedanta, however all of them expound on the basic teaching of the ultimate reality (brahman) and liberation (moksha) of the individual soul (atman).
Vedic Hinduism (also orthodox Brahmanism)
Kaṭha (कठ) refers to one of the twelve sub-divisions of the Caraka division of the Yajurveda according to the Caraṇavyuhasūtra.—The scholars are of opinion that the Viṣṇusmṛti is related to the kaṭha-śākhā of the Caraka school of the Kṛṣṇa-Yajurveda. It is stated in the Vaijayantī that Viṣṇusmṛti belongs to the kaṭha-śākhā. Many hymns are cited in the Viṣṇusmṛti from the Kāṭhakagṛhyasūtra (which is also known as Laugākṣigṛhyasūtra, Carakagṛhyasūtra or Cārāyanīyagṛhyasūtra). According to the Caraṇavyuha-Sūtra, the Yajurveda had 86 divisions, of which the Caraka had twelve subdivisions, e.g., the Kaṭha.
Vedic Hinduism refers to traditional Brahmanism adhering to the vast literature known as Shruti, including the four Vedas, the Brahmanas (interpretation and commentaries) and Upanishads (philosophical discourses) as well as a variety of appendices known as Sutras.
Ayurveda (science of life)
Gandha-Shastra (science of cosmetics, skin care, etc.)
Kātha (काथ) is the name of an ingredient/material used in various aromatic preparations, as recorded in the Marathi commentary on the Gandhavāda: a 16th century Sanskrit text dealing with the Gandhaśāstra (“ancient Indian science of cosmetics and perfumery”).—The manuscript contains two treatises viz. (1) the Gandhasāra and the (2) the Gandhavāda with Bhāṣā commentary in Marathi which is useful linguistically because it gives the vernacular equivalents for some of the Sanskrit terms. This reveals a variety of aromatic materials (e.g., kātha) that were used in Medieval India for the manufacture of perfumery and cosmetics.

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद, ayurveda) is a branch of Indian science dealing with medicine, herbalism, taxology, anatomy, surgery, alchemy and related topics. Traditional practice of Āyurveda in ancient India dates back to at least the first millenium BC. Literature is commonly written in Sanskrit using various poetic metres.
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Kathā (कथा) refers to “advice”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, “Then the Bodhisattva Gaganagañja, having praised the Lord with these verses, addressed himself to the Lord: ‘[...] If, Lord, the Tathāgata gives some advice (kathā) about the entrance into the analysis of the dharma (dharmaviniścaya) to me, I would ask a question. Why is that? The Lord, having obtained the knowledge of non-attachment (asaṅga), is skilled in knowing the excellent and not so excellent abilities in all living beings. The Lord, having obtained the light, is free from the all darkness (andhakāra). [...]’”.

Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.
In Jainism
General definition (in Jainism)
1) Kaṭha (कठ) or Meghamālin is the name of a [false] ascetic who Dharaṇendra and Pārśvanātha, the Yakṣa accompanying Pārśvanātha: the twenty-third of twenty-four Tīrthaṃkaras or Jinas, commonly depicted in Jaina iconography.—[...] There exists in Jaina literature a mythological story as to Dharaṇendra [also, Pārśva-yakṣa] was saved by Jina Pārśvanātha from being burned in the sacred fire of a false ascetic Kaṭha (afterwards, Meghamālin) and how when attacked by Meghamālin, in his Kāyotsarga Āsana, Pārśvanātha was gratefully waited upon by the same serpent, born next as Dharaṇendra, or Nāgendra Yakṣa of Pātāla.
2) Kaṭha (कठ) is also mentioned as Jaratkāru in Jaina legend.—Certain vernecular manuscripts called Padma-purāṇa, Behulā-carita (Vipulā-carita also), give the stories of Behulā, Chand Merchant and Padmāvatī. It is most likely that the connection between the Jaina Padmāvatī and the Brahmanic Manasā originates from the Jaina legends. Jaratkāru, an ascetic, stands for Kaṭha in the Jaina legend and it is he who latterly became one with Śeṣa, the King of Pātāla.

Jainism is an Indian religion of Dharma whose doctrine revolves around harmlessness (ahimsa) towards every living being. The two major branches (Digambara and Svetambara) of Jainism stimulate self-control (or, shramana, ‘self-reliance’) and spiritual development through a path of peace for the soul to progess to the ultimate goal.
India history and geography
Kathā (कथा) is the name of a river mentioned in the Nīlamatapurāṇa. Stein has rightly changed Kathā of the Nīlamata into Abhayā, on the basis of Gaṅgodbheda Māhātmya. Identifying Gaṅgodbheda, he says, “In the ancient tank filled by the spring of Buḍabrār, we recognise, thus clearly the sacred basin of the Gaṅgodbheda and in the little spring which drains it on the east, the sin-removing stream of Abhayā”.
Kaṭha.—(LP), cf. Gujarātī kāṭmāl. Note: kaṭha is defined in the “Indian epigraphical glossary” as it can be found on ancient inscriptions commonly written in Sanskrit, Prakrit or Dravidian languages.
Kathā (कथा) (or Kahā) refers to a particular category of literature (of five kinds), as mentioned by Uddyotanasūri in his 8th-century Kuvalayamālā (a Prakrit Campū, similar to Kāvya poetry) narrating the love-story between Prince Candrāpīḍa and the Apsaras Kādambarī.—The Kuvalayamala (779 A.D.) is full of cultural material which gains in value because of the firm date of its composition. [...] The poet mentions five kinds of Kathās (4.5): sayala-kahā, khaṃḍa-kahā, ullāva-kahā, parihāsa-kahā etc. His disquisition on the nature of the different Kathās according to the metres, topics, serious or humourous, and style of writing is very enlightening and shows the richness of Kathā literature during his time. It is noteworthy that the topics of these were cast into the mould of the Rāsa literature that carried forward the kathā-sāhitya in Apabhraṃśa, Avahaṭṭā, Old-Gujarātī, Old-Rājasthānī, etc. and later in Avadhī, Bṛja-bhāṣā and Rājasthānī languages.

The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.
Biology (plants and animals)
1) Katha in India is the name of a plant defined with Acacia catechu in various botanical sources. This page contains potential references in Ayurveda, modern medicine, and other folk traditions or local practices It has the synonym Acacia polyacantha Willd. (among others).
2) Katha is also identified with Areca catechu It has the synonym Areca catechu Willdenow (etc.).
3) Katha is also identified with Chukrasia tabularis It has the synonym Chikrassia velutina M. Roemer (etc.).
Example references for further research on medicinal uses or toxicity (see latin names for full list):
· Fam. Natur. Monogr. (1846)
· Species Plantarum.
· Hist. Nat. Palm. (1836)
· Plant-Book
· Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) (1995)
· Fl. For. Cochinch. (1896)
If you are looking for specific details regarding Katha, for example diet and recipes, chemical composition, extract dosage, side effects, pregnancy safety, health benefits, have a look at these references.

This sections includes definitions from the five kingdoms of living things: Animals, Plants, Fungi, Protists and Monera. It will include both the official binomial nomenclature (scientific names usually in Latin) as well as regional spellings and variants.
Languages of India and abroad
Pali-English dictionary
kathā : (f.) speech; story; talk.
Kathā, (f.) (fr. kath to tell or talk, see katheti; nearest synonym is lap, cp. vāc’âbhilāpa & sallāpa) 1. talk, talking, conversation A. I, 130; PvA. 39. So in antarā° D. I, 179; Sn. p. 107, 115; cp. sallāpa. Also in tiracchāna° low, common speech, comprising 28 kinds of conversational talk a bhikkhu should not indulge in, enumerated in full at D. I, 7=178=III, 36 & passim (e.g. S. V, 419: corr. suddha° to yuddha°!; A. V, 128=Nd2 192); ref. to at A. III, 256; V, 185; J. I, 58; Pug. 35. Similarly in gāma° Sn. 922; viggāhikā k. A. IV, 87; Sn. 930. Ten good themes of conversation (kathā-vatthūni) are enumerated at M. III, 113=A. III, 117=IV. 357=V. 67; Miln. 344; similarly dhammī kathā A. II, 51; IV, 307; V, 192; Sn. 325; pavattanī k. A. I, 151; yutta kathāyaṃ Sn. 826; sammodanīyā k. in salutation formula s°ṃ k°ṃ sāraṇīyaṃ vītisāretvā D. I, 52, 108, etc.; A. V, 185; Sn. 419, pp. 86, 93, 107, 116.—2. speech, sermon, discourse, lecture Vin. I, 203, 290 (°ṃ karoti to discuss); A. III, 174; IV, 358. frequent in anupubbi° a sermon in regular succession, graduated sermon, discussing the 4 points of the ladder of “holiness, ” viz. dānakathā, sīla°, sagga°, magga° (see anupubba) Vin. I, 15; A. III, 184; IV, 186, 209, 213; DhA. I, 6; VvA. 66.—3. a (longer) story, often with vitthāra° an account in detail, e.g. PvA. 19. bāhira° profane story KhA 48.—4. word, words, advice: °ṃ gaṇhāti to accept an advice J. II, 173; III, 424.—5. explanation, exposition, in aṭṭha° (q. v.), cp. gati° Ps. II, 72.—6. discussion, in °vatthu (see below) Mhvs 5, 138. —dukkathā harmful conversation or idle talk A. III, 181; opp. su° A. III, 182. —kathaṃ vaḍḍheti “to increase the talk, ” to dispute sharply J. I, 404; V, 412. °ṃ samuṭṭhāpeti to start a conversation J. I, 119; IV, 73.—At the end of cpds. (as adj.) °kathā e.g. chinna° Sn. 711; ṭhita° DA. I, 73; madhura° J. III, 342; VI, 255.
1) kathā (ကထာ) [(thī) (ထီ)]—
[kathaṃ+kathā]
[ကထံ+ကထာ]
2) kathā (ကထာ) [(thī) (ထီ)]—
[katha+a+ā]
[ကထ+အ+အာ]
[Pali to Burmese]
1) kathā—
(Burmese text): (၁) ပြောဆိုခြင်း၊ စကား-ပြောဟော-ပြောဆို-ခြင်း။ (က) ဝါဒပြိုင်ဆိုင်ပြောဆိုခြင်း။ (ခ) ဝိနည်းကိုပြောဆိုခြင်း။ (၂) စကား။ (က) ပိဋကတ်စကား။ (ခ) အနက်အဖွင့်စကား။ (အဋ္ဌကထာ,ဋီကာ စသည်)။ (ဂ) ပုံပြင်စကား။ (ကြံစည်ဖွဲ့ဆိုအပ်၍ အမှန်နည်းသော နာဋက,ရာမာယဏစသော ပုံပြင်ဝတ္ထုမျိုး)။ (ဃ) အဖွဲ့အနွဲ့စကား။ (င) သေရည်အရက်ကို ချီးမွမ်းသော စကား။
(Auto-Translation): (1) Speaking, discourse, talking. (a) Engaging in competitive speeches. (b) Discussing doctrines. (2) Speech. (a) Argumentative speech. (b) Ambiguous speech. (e.g., in context of nuances, commentary, etc.). (c) Fable-like speech. (Regrouping, rebuilding to form true narratives or traditional fables, etc.). (d) Collective speech. (e) Praise of a specific drink or liquor.
2) kathā—
(Burmese text): သို့လော သို့လော တွေးတော ယုံမှားမှု၊ ဝိစိကိစ္ဆာ။
(Auto-Translation): Doubt and confusion, misinterpretation, and anxiety.

Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.
Marathi-English dictionary
kathā (कथा).—f (S) A feigned story; a tale, fable, apologue. 2 A legend of the exploits of some god related with music and singing, and with embellishing marvels invented at the moment;--forming a public entertainment. 3 Used in the sense of importance, weight, significance; as tyācī kathā kāya Of what account is he? See similar words under kimata. 4 S Speech, saying, telling. kathā hōṇēṃ g. of s. To live only in story; to be as a tale that is told; fuit Ilium. kathēcī gati The course of a narrative or story. Ex. jēvhāṃ kathēcī gati hē vadāvī || dhanuṣya bhaṅgī rasaraudra dāvī ||
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kāṭha (काठ) [or कांठ, kāṇṭha].—m Border, side, verge, edge, margin: also edge, rim, brim, encircling portion (of a dish, pitcher, hat &c.): also shore, coast, adjoining land (of the sea or a river). 2 A flowered or an ornamental border (of a garment). kāṇṭha kōṇā mōjaṇēṃ To survey closely; to examine with rigorous minuteness. kāṇṭhāvara basaṇēṃ (The falling of the stroke upon the edge of the pakhavāja, and thus the occurring of a cracked or flat sound.) To be spoiled, marred, dished, squashed, ruined--a business or matter. Used impers. as hyācyā kāṇṭhāvara basalī--cōpa, kāḍī, or some feminine noun being understood. kāṇṭhāvara māraṇēṃ To spoil, marr, dish &c.
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kāthā (काथा).—m The fibrous integuments of the cocoanut soaked, beaten, and drawn out, coir. 2 Cord or rope made of it. 3 The fibres covering the surface of the suramāḍa 4 Applied laxly to the fibres of a stringy mango. kāthā kuṭaṇēṃ To make fruitless discussion or empty chat.
kathā (कथा).—f A tale. A legend of the exploits of some god, related with music and singing. Weight. Ex. (tyācī) kathā kāya? Of what significance or importance? –meaning worthless.
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kāṭha (काठ).—m Border, verge, edge. Shore. kāṇṭha kōṇā mōjaṇēṃ Survey closely, exa- mine with rigorous minuteness.
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kāthā (काथा).—m Coir. Rope made of it.
Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.
Sanskrit dictionary
Kaṭha (कठ).—1 Name of a sage, pupil of Vaiśampāyana, teacher of that branch of Yajurveda which is called after him.
2) A Brāhmaṇa.
3) A note or simple sound.
4) A kind of ṛk.
-ṭhāḥ The follower of that sage. के सव्रह्यचारिणोस्येति । कठाः (ke savrahyacāriṇosyeti | kaṭhāḥ) | Mahābhārata on P.II.2.24.
-ṭhī 1 A female follower of Kaṭha. कठी वृन्दारिका कठवृन्दारिका (kaṭhī vṛndārikā kaṭhavṛndārikā) Mahābhārata on P.VI.3.42.
2) The wife of a Brāhmaṇa.
Derivable forms: kaṭhaḥ (कठः).
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Kathā (कथा).—[kath ni° a]
1) A tale, story; °प्रावीण्यम् (prāvīṇyam) Uttararāmacarita 4. historical knowledge.
2) A fable, feigned story; कथाच्छलेन बालानां नीतिस्तदिह कथ्यते (kathācchalena bālānāṃ nītistadiha kathyate) H. Pr.8.
3) An account, allusion, mention; कथापि खलु पापानामलमश्रेयसे यतः (kathāpi khalu pāpānāmalamaśreyase yataḥ) Śiśupālavadha 2. 4.
4) Talk, conversation, speech; प्रथमं कृतां कथाम् (prathamaṃ kṛtāṃ kathām) Ś. 4.1.
5) A variety of prose composition, often distinguished from आख्यायिका (ākhyāyikā); (prabandhakalpanāṃ stokasatyāṃ prājñāḥ kathāṃ viduḥ | paraṃparāśrayā yā syāt sā matākhyāyikā budhaiḥ ||); see under आख्यायिका (ākhyāyikā) also.
6) (In phil.) Disputation. का कथा (kā kathā) or कथा (kathā) with प्रति (prati) (what mention) is often used in the sense of 'what need one say of', 'not to mention', 'to say nothing of', 'how much more', or 'how much less'; का कथा बाणसंधाने ज्याशब्देनैव दूरतः । हुंकारेणेव धनुषः स हि विघ्नानपोहति (kā kathā bāṇasaṃdhāne jyāśabdenaiva dūrataḥ | huṃkāreṇeva dhanuṣaḥ sa hi vighnānapohati) Ś.3.1; अभितप्तमयोऽपि मार्दवं भजते कैव कथा शरीरिषु (abhitaptamayo'pi mārdavaṃ bhajate kaiva kathā śarīriṣu) R.8.43; आप्तवागनुमानाभ्भ्यां साध्यं त्वां प्रति का कथा (āptavāganumānābhbhyāṃ sādhyaṃ tvāṃ prati kā kathā) 1.28; Ve.2.25.
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Kāṭha (काठ).—A rock, stone.
Derivable forms: kāṭhaḥ (काठः).
Katha (कथ).—(?) , m. = Sanskrit kathā, talk: Saddharmapuṇḍarīka 283.13 (verse) upasaṃharec citrakathān bahūṃś ca, so all Nepalese mss.; Kashgar recension °kathāṃ bahuṃvidhāṃ, which perhaps read; both edd. em. °kathā bahūś ca.
Kaṭha (कठ).—m.
(-ṭhaḥ) 1. The name of a Muni or saint. 2. A note or simple sound. 3. A portion of the Yajur Veda. 4. A Mantra or mystical prayer. 5. A Brahman. 6. A Brahman versed in the Vedas, especially in the Rig Veda. 7. A student of the same. 8. Trouble, distress. f. (-ṭhī) The wife of a Brahman. E. kaṭh to be confused, and ap aff.
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Kathā (कथा).—f.
(-thā) A feigned story, a tale or fable. E. katha to tell, &c. aṅ and ṭāp affs.
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Kāṭha (काठ).—m.
(-ṭhaḥ) A stone, a rock. E. kaṭh to be hard, &c. aṇ affix; also with kan added, kāṭhaka.
Kaṭha (कठ).—m. The name of a sage, Mahābhārata 1, 962.
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Kathā (कथा).—[kath + ā], f. 1. A tale, Ram. 1, 2, 38. 2. A speech, discourse, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 3, 231; [Śākuntala, (ed. Böhtlingk.)] [distich] 76. 3. Mention, [Nala] 21, 33. 4. With preceding kā (fem. of kim), and a following loc., or prati with acc., No question, out of the question, [Raghuvaṃśa, (ed. Stenzler.)] 10, 29 (you are out of the question); in a prodosis, [Śākuntala, (ed. Böhtlingk.)] [distich] 52, kā kathā vāṇasaṃdhāne, There is no need to fix the arrow to the bow; in an apodosis, [Kathāsaritsāgara, (ed. Brockhaus.)] 4, 123, how much less?
Kaṭha (कठ).—[masculine] [Name] of an ancient teacher & his disciples.
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Kathā (कथा).—1. [adverb] how? in what way? whence? In [adjective] l. more frequent than katham q.v.
— yathā kathā ca howsoever.
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Kathā (कथा).—2. [feminine] talk, conversation about ([locative] or —°); tale, story of ([genetive] or —°); communication, mention, statement; discussion, dialogue.
— kā kathā what mention of i.e. to say nothing of ([genetive], [locative], or prati [with] [accusative]). kaiṣā kathā to say nothing of it. kathāṃ kṛ talk or think of ([genetive]).*
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Kāṭha (काठ).—[adjective] coming from Kaṭha.
1) Kaṭha (कठ):—[from kaṭh] 1. kaṭha (for 2. See sub voce) n. distress (?).
2) 2. kaṭha m. Name of a sage (a pupil of Vaiśampāyana and founder of a branch of the Yajur-veda, called after him), [Mahābhārata] etc.
3) m. a pupil or follower of Kaṭha ([especially] [plural])
4) a Brāhman, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
5) Kathā (कथा):—[from kath] 1. kathā f. (for 2. See [column]3) conversation, speech, talking together, [Āśvalāyana-gṛhya-sūtra; Mahābhārata; Manu-smṛti] etc.
6) [v.s. ...] talk, mention
7) [v.s. ...] (kā kathā [with [genitive case] or more commonly with [locative case] and sometimes with prati], what should one say of? how should one speak of? e.g. eko pi kṛcchrād varteta bhūyasāṃ tu kathaiva kā, even one person would live with difficulty, what should one say of many? id est. how much more many? [Kathāsaritsāgara iv, 123]; kā kathā bāṇa-saṃdhāne, what mention of fitting the arrow? id est. what necessity for fitting the arrow? [Śakuntalā 53 a])
8) [v.s. ...] story, tale, fable, [Mahābhārata; Rāmāyaṇa; Hitopadeśa] etc.
9) [v.s. ...] a feigned story, tale (as one, of the species of poetical composition), [Sāhitya-darpaṇa 567; Kāvyādarśa]
10) [v.s. ...] Story (personified), [Kathāsaritsāgara]
11) [v.s. ...] (in [logic]) discussion, disputation, [Sarvadarśana-saṃgraha]
12) [from katham] 2. kathā ind. (for 1. See [column]1) ([Vedic or Veda] for katham, [Pāṇini 5-3, 26]) how? whence? why? [Ṛg-veda; Atharva-veda viii, 1, 16; Taittirīya-saṃhitā] etc.
13) [v.s. ...] (yathā kathā ca, in any way whatsoever, [Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa iv])
14) [v.s. ...] sometimes merely a particle of interrogation (e.g. kathā śṛṇoti... indraḥ, does Indra hear? [Ṛg-veda iv, 23, 3]; kathā-kathā, whether-or? [Taittirīya-saṃhitā ii, 6, 1, 7]).
15) Kāṭha (काठ):—mf(ī)n. proceeding from or composed by Kaṭha, [Pāṇini 4-3, 107; Kāśikā-vṛtti]
16) m. a rock, stone, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
1) Kaṭha (कठ):—(ṭhaḥ) 1. m. The name of a sage; a prayer. f. Wife of a brāhman.
2) Katha (कथ):—(t ka) kathayati 10. a. To speak.
3) Kathā (कथा):—(thā) 1. f. A word; a feigned story, a tale or history.
4) Kāṭha (काठ):—(ṭhaḥ) 1. m. A stone, a rock.
Kaṭha (कठ):—[Siddhāntakaumudī.234,b,3.] m. Nomen proprium eines Weisen, Schülers von Vaicaṃpāyana und Stifters einer nach ihm benannten Schule des YAJURVEDA. [Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 4, 3, 107. 104,] [Scholiast 2, 66,] [Scholiast] [Mahābhārata 1, 962. 2, 113.] [Weber’s Indische Studien 1, 73. 74.] Im pl. Anhänger —, Schüler des Kaṭha [Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 4, 3, 107. 120, Vārttika von Kātyāyana. 7,] [Scholiast 2, 66,] [Scholiast] [Weber’s Indische Studien 1, 68. 150. 2, 100. 3, 257. 451. fg.] Auch im sg. [Scholiast] zu [Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 1, 3, 49. 2, 1, 63] und [6, 2, 57.] kaṭhī f. eine Anhängerin des Kaṭha [Scholiast] zu [Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 4, 1, 63] und [6, 3, 41.] [Vopadeva’s Grammatik 4, 15.] prācyakaṭhāḥ und kapiṣṭhalakaṭhāḥ [Weber’s Indische Studien 1, 68.] kaṭhakālāpāḥ [?(Rāmāyaṇa 2, 32, 18:] kaṭa) die Schulen des Kaṭha und Kalāpin, kaṭhakauthumāḥ die des Kaṭha und Kuthumin gaṇa kārtakaujapādi zu [Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 6, 2, 37.] Die beiden compp. im sg. [Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 2, 4, 3,] [Scholiast]; vgl. [Geschichte des Weda,] [Zur L. u. G. d. W. 57,] [Nalopākhyāna] kaṭhaśākhā [Siddhāntakaumudī] zu [Pāṇini’s acht Bücher.7,4,38.] kaṭhavallī, kaṭhaśruti und kaṭhopaniṣad ff. Name einer in zwei Theile (Adhyāya) zerfallenden [UPANIṢAD] mit drei Vallī in jedem Theile. [Colebrooke I, 96.] [Akademische Vorlesungen 151. 157.] [Weber’s Indische Studien 1, 302] (vgl. [2, 396). 469. 3, 452.] kaṭhasūtra ebend. [?1, 69. Akademische Vorlesungen 96. - Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha 2, 103] : kaṭho munau svare (a note or simple sound [Wilson’s Wörterbuch]) ṛcāṃ bhede tatpāṭhivedinoḥ; [Medinīkoṣa ṭh. 1] : kaṭho munau tadākhyātavedādhyetṛjñayoḥ svare; nach [Trikāṇḍaśeṣa 2, 7, 2] ein Brahman überhaupt. kaṭhī eine Brahmanin [Jaṭādhara im Śabdakalpadruma] — Vgl. kāṭhaka .
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Kathā (कथा):—
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Kathā (कथा):—2. f. [Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 3, 3, 105.] [Vopadeva’s Grammatik 26, 192.] Unterredung, Gespräch; Rede; Erzählung [Amarakoṣa 1, 1, 5, 6.] [Trikāṇḍaśeṣa 3, 2, 22.] hantodgīthe (über den U.) kathāṃ vadāmaḥ [Chāndogyopaniṣad 1, 8, 1.] āyuṣmatāṃ kathāḥ kīrtayantaḥ [ĀŚV. GṚHY. 4, 6.] brahmodyāśca kathāḥ kuryāt [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 3, 231.] na vigarhyakathāṃ kuryāt [4, 72.] kṛtvobhau suciraṃ kālaṃ dharmiṣṭhau tāḥ kathāstadā [Viśvāmitra’s Kampf 2, 11.] [Daśaratha’s Tod 2, 5.] śanaiścakruḥ pṛthakkathāḥ [Rāmāyaṇa 3, 1, 3.] tena saṃbhrāntāḥ kathayanti mithaḥ kathāḥ [14.] kathānte [Nalopākhyāna 22, 4.] [Viśvāmitra’s Kampf 2, 12.] svayaṃvarakathā eine Erwähnung der Selbstwahl [Nalopākhyāna] [?(BOPP) 21, 23.] gauravayantritakathaḥ pituḥ [Rāmāyaṇa 1, 76, 1.] apānṛtakathaṃ putra pitaraṃ kartumicchasi [2, 34, 38.] smariṣyati tvāṃ na sa bodhito pi saṃkathāṃ pramattaḥ prathamaṃ kṛtāmiva [Śākuntala 76. 104, 21.] kimiti mama kathāvirakto nyāsakto bhavān [Hitopadeśa 27, 16.] svayaṃvare kila prāptā tvametena yaśasvinā . rāghaveṇeti me sīte kathā śrutipathaṃ gatā .. tāṃ kathāṃ śrotumicchāmi vistāreṇa -. vaktumācakrame kathām [Rāmāyaṇa 3, 4, 3—5.] kuru rāmakathāṃ divyāṃ ślokabaddhāṃ manoramām [1, 2, 38.] rāmāyaṇakathā [39.] sanatkumāro bhagavānpurā kathitavāṃkathām . bhaviṣyaṃ viduṣāṃ mathye tava putrasamudbhavam .. [8, 6.] śṛṇudhvam kathāṃ tasya (von ihm) manoramām [Brahmapurāṇa] in [Lassen’s Anthologie 49, 15.] [Mahābhārata 13, 770.] [Suśruta 1, 69, 12. 71, 10.] [Prooemium im Hitopadeśa 6.] kākakūrmādīnāṃ (von) vicitrāṃ kathāṃ kathayāmi [8, 18.] śṛṇutaitkathāmimām höret diese Erzählung hierüber [Kathāsaritsāgara 3, 4.] aitihāsikā kathā [Sāyaṇa] bei [ROSEN] zu [Ṛgveda 1, 6, 5.] Bemerkenswerth ist die Redensart kā kathā mit dem gen. oder gewöhnlicher mit dem loc. (auch mit prati): wie könnte von diesem die Rede sein? amībhiḥ śaktubhiḥ sutāḥ . eko pi kṛcchrādvarteta bhūyasāṃ tu kathaiva kā sogar Einer würde mit Mühe sein Leben fristen, wie viel weniger so viele [Kathāsaritsāgara 4, 123.] [Dhūrtasamāgama 76, 19.] kā kathā vāṇasaṃdhāne jyāśabdenaiva dūrataḥ . hūṃkāreṇeva dhanuṣaḥ sa hi vighnānapohati [Śākuntala 52.] abhitaptamayo pi mārdavaṃ bhajate kaiva kathā śarīriṣu [Raghuvaṃśa 8, 43.] [Kathāsaritsāgara 19, 28.] [Prabodhacandrodaja 82, 15.] tvāṃ prati kā kathā [Raghuvaṃśa 10, 29.] Bei den Philosophen bedeutet kathā Disputation [Colebrooke I, 293.] — Das Wort ist entweder auf kathay zurückzuführen oder es ist das zum subst. erhobene adv. kathā .
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Kāṭha (काठ):—
1) adj. von Kaṭha herrührend: kāṭhāḥ ślokāḥ [Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 4, 3, 107,] [Scholiast] kāṭhacayanāni [Weber’s Indische Studien 1, 83, 6.] —
2) m. Stein, Fels [Trikāṇḍaśeṣa 2, 3, 5.]
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Kaṭha (कठ):—[Z. 8] ed. Bomb. des R. richtig kaṭha .
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Kathā (कथा):—2. , dharmakathāṃ kartumārabdhau eine Unterredung über [Pañcatantra 117, 13.] aśakyametadasmākamiti tāścakrire kathāḥ so v. a. sie sagten [Mārkāṇḍeyapurāṇa 1, 41.] itihāsakathā [kāvyādarśa 1, 15.] śrutā prājñakathā deva tvayā mugdhakathāṃ śṛṇu die Geschichte vom Klugen, - Dummen [Kathāsaritsāgara 61, 2.] eine kunstgerechte Erzählung definirt [Sāhityadarpana 567.] Im Nyāya Discussion, Dialog: kathā nāma vādiprativādinoḥ pakṣapratipakṣaparigrahaḥ [SARVADARŚANAS. 114, 5.]
Kaṭha (कठ):——
1) m. — a) Nomen proprium eines Schülers des Vaiśaṃpāyana und Stifters einer nach ihm benannten Schule des Yajurveda. — b) ein Schüler — , Anhänger des Kaṭha. — c) *ein Brahman. —
2) *f. ī — a) eine Schülerin — , Anhängerin des Kaṭha. — b) eine Brahmanenfrau.
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Kathā (कथा):—1. Adv. —
1) wie? auf welche Weise? woher? warum? yathā kathā ca auf welche Weise es auch sei. —
2) abgeschwächt so v.a. num. kathā kathā auch utrum an.
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Kathā (कथा):—2. f. (am Ende eines adj. Comp. f. ā [Kathāsaritsāgara 8,38]) —
1) Unterhaltung , Gespräch , Unterredung über (Loc. oder im Comp. vorangehend). —
2) Erzählung , — von (Gen. oder im Comp. vorangehend) , Mittheilung , Rede , Erwähnung , Angabe [225,9.] —
3) in der Rhet. eine kunstgerechte Erzählung [KĀVYĀD.1,38.] Nom.abstr. tva n. Comm. [ebend.] Die Kathā personif. [Kathāsaritsāgara 8,37.38.] —
4) im Nyāya Discussion , Dialog. —
5) kā kathā wie könnte die Rede sein von? (Loc. , Gen. oder prati mit Acc.) , so v.a. geschweige [176,14.] madhuracchāyaphalaiḥ kā kathā śīrṇenāpi hi nopayogamagamatparṇena tāldrumaḥ nicht nur nicht mit — sondern auch nicht einmal mit oder in umgekehrter Ordnung nicht einmal mit — geschweige denn mit [Indische sprüche 7630.] kaiṣā kathā wie könnte davon die Rede sein? [Böhtlingk’s Sanskrit-Chresthomathie 133,32.]
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Kāṭha (काठ):——
1) Adj von Kaṭha herrührend. —
2) *n. Stein , Fels.
Katha (कथ) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit words: Alilla, Kaha, Kahā, Kahāva, Kāha, Cava, Ṇivvara, Pajjara, Pisuṇa, Bolla, Bollā, Vajjara, Sagdha, Sāsa, Sāha, Sīsa.
Katha (in Sanskrit) can be associated with the following Chinese terms:
1) 言詞 [yán cí]: “words”.
2) 何因 [hé yīn]: “how”.
Note: katha can be alternatively written as: kathaṃ.
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Hindi dictionary
1) Katha (कथ):—([thā])[kalī] (nf) a typical classical Indian dance style.
2) Kathā (कथा):—(nf) a story, tale, fable; narrative; religious discourse; —[citra] a feature film; ~[nāyaka] the hero, main character; ~[mukha] lead, introductory part of the story; ~[vastu] the plot; —[vārtā] religious discourse and discussion; conversation on a variety of topics; ~[sāra] a synopsis.
3) Kāṭha (काठ) [Also spelled kath]:—(nm) wood; timber; a block; (fig.) wooden, feelingless person; —[kabāḍa] lumber, useless or cumberous material; —[kā kalejā honā] to be hard-hearted, to be heartless; —[kā ullū] a beetle-brain; an absolute blockhead; —[kī haṃḍiyā dubārā nahīṃ caḍhatī] it is a silly fish that is caught with the same bait; —[kī hāṃḍī] a means for dupery; —[māra jānā] to be stunned; —[meṃ pāṃva denā] to put one’s legs in the stocks, to take to a troublesome course; —[honā] to be petrified.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Kaṭha (ಕಠ):—
1) [noun] a man belonging to brāhmaṇa caste.
2) [noun] the auditory sensation produced by vibrations in air, water, etc.; sound.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
1) Kaṭha (कठ):—pref. (in a compound words) wood;
2) Kathā (कथा):—n. 1. tale; story; a fable; a feigned story; fiction; 2. the puranas (पुराण [purāṇa] ) (पुराण [purāṇa ] : Hindu religious texts that are part of the Vedas); 3. saying; discourse; 4. history genealogy;
3) Kāṭha (काठ):—n. 1. wood; a piece of wood/timber; 2. log;
Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches (+0): Katham, A, Katha, Katta, Kata, Kitta.
Starts with (+29): Kata, Katacittu, Katha gulabi pani, Katha kala kanpuri, Katha kanpuri, Katha Kinariu, Katha safaid, Katha singapore, Katha singapur, Katha Sutta, Katha-champa, Katha-halnu, Kathabahulla, Kathabandha, Kathabhanga, Kathabheda, Kathabhinnana, Kathabrahmana, Kathacana, Kathacchala.
Full-text (+2732): Kitta, Kathina, Kathita, Kathora, Katham, Kathana, Kaccha, Parikatha, Ukkanthati, Brihatkatha, Kathamukha, Rajakatha, Kathayoga, Kathopanishad, Khandakatha, Kathika, Purakatha, Kathaprasanga, Atikatha, Kathala.
Relevant text
Search found 356 books and stories containing Katha, Kathā, Kaṭha, Kāṭha, Kāthā, Katha-a-a, Katha-a-ā, Katham-katha, Kathaṃ-kathā; (plurals include: Kathas, Kathās, Kaṭhas, Kāṭhas, Kāthās, as, ās, kathas, kathās). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Kathasaritsagara (the Ocean of Story) (by Somadeva)
Foreword to volume 7 < [Forewords]
Foreword to volume 1 < [Forewords]
Legend of Ksupa < [Purana, Volume 9, Part 2 (1967)]
The Naciketa-Upakhyana as the source of the Nasiketopakhyana < [Purana, Volume 6, Part 2 (1964)]
Amplification of the Vedas by the Dharmasastra, Itihasa and Puranas < [Purana, Volume 4, Part 1 (1962)]
Brahma Sutras (Shankaracharya) (by George Thibaut)
III, 3, 34 < [Third Adhyāya, Third Pāda]
III, 4, 31 < [Third Adhyāya, Fourth Pāda]
Third Adhyāya < [Introduction]
Garga Samhita (English) (by Danavir Goswami)
Verse 8.13.143 < [Chapter 13 - A Thousand Names of Lord Balarāma]
Verse 6.10.5 < [Chapter 10 - In the Description of the Gomatī River, the Glories of Cakra-tīrtha]
Verse 6.13.18 < [Chapter 13 - The Glories of Prabhāsa-tīrtha, the Sarasvatī River, etc.]
Krishna Sandarbha of Jiva Goswami (by Kusakratha Prabhu)
The World of ‘Vrata Kathas’ < [April – June, 2006]
Fakir Shah Jalaluddin Vasali < [January-February 1933]
The Kalaapam < [January 1955]





