— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)
कथाkathā
कथा (kathā) is a Sanskrit word meaning conversation, speech, or talking together, talk, mention, what should one say of, story, tale, or fable, a feigned story or tale, Story personified. Its 39 recorded definitions are grouped into 12 contexts, among them Story, Tale, Fable, Narration, Interrogative Adverb/Particle, Comprehensive Noun Definitions.
- Definitions
- 39
Meanings by context
Story, Tale, Fable, Narration
8 definitions
कथा (kathā) [कथ् नि (kath ni)° अ (° a)]
1 A tale, story; °प्रावीण्यं (°prāvīṇyaṃ) Uttararāmacarita 4 historical knowledge.
— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary
कथा (kathā) [कथ् नि (kath ni)° अ (° a)]
2 A fable, feigned story; कथा (kathā)च्छलेन बालानां नीतिस्तदिह कथ्यते (kathācchalena bālānāṃ nītistadiha kathyate) Hitopadeśa prastāvikā 8
— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary
कथ (katha)ा (kathā) f. (-था (-thā)) A feigned story, a tale or fable.
— Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary
कथा (kathā) (था) ((thā)) 1. f. A word; a feigned story, a tale or history. [ID=8229]
— Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary
कथ (katha)ा (kathā)
— Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary
कथा (kathā) kath + ā, f. 1. A tale, Rām.
— Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary
—1. story, tale, fable; discussion;
—2. personified, Story, 569. [prop. ‘the how, τὸ ὅπως,’ 1kathā́.] [ID=1010]
— Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary
Interrogative Adverb/Particle
7 definitions
2. कथा (kathā) ind. (for 1. See col. 1) (Ved. for कथम् (katham), Pāṇini (Author) v, 3, 26) how? whence? why? Ṛg-veda (Title) ; Atharva-veda (Title) viii, 1, 16; Taittirīya-saṃhitā (Title) &c. [ID=42778]
— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)
— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)
— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)
कथा (kathā) 1. ka-thā́, inter. ad. how? whence? why?
uáthā kathā́ ca, howsoever. [ID=5415]
— Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary
1 कथा (kathā) adv. how? in what way? whence? In a. l. more frequent than कथम् (katham) q.v. — यथा कथा (kathā) च (yathā kathā ca) howsoever. [ID=6934]
— Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary
1kathā́, see kathám. [ID=1009]
— Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary
2. kathā, ind. (for katham), Ved. how? whence? why? Sometimes merely a particle of interrogation (e. g. kathā śṛṇoti Indraḥ, does Indra hear? yathā kathā ca, in any way whatsoever). [ID=13531]
— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)
Comprehensive Noun Definitions
4 definitions
about (lc., —°); story, tale (about g.
or —°); mention, statement; Story (personified);
kā kathā, it is not a question of —, — is
out of the question, to say nothing of (g., lc.,
or prati); kā‿kathā, how could there be
a question about it? = it is out of the question. [ID=5416]
— Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary
कथा (kathā) f. 1. Mention, allusion, का कथा (kathā) (kā kathā) बाणसंधाने ज्याशब्देनैव दूरतः । हुंकारेणेव धनुषः स हि विघ्नानपोहति (kā kathā bāṇasaṃdhāne jyāśabdenaiva dūrataḥ . huṃkāreṇeva dhanuṣaḥ sa hi vighnānapohati) Sak. iii.; 2. conversation; 3. a tale, an account, कथा (kathā)पि खलु पापानामलमश्रेयसे यतः (kathāpi khalu pāpānāmalamaśreyase yataḥ) Sis. ii.40; 4. a fable, कथा (kathā)च्छलेन बालानां नीतिस्तदिह कथ्यते (kathācchalena bālānāṃ nītistadiha kathyate) Hit. i.; 5. a species of prose composition often distinguished from आख्यायिका (ākhyāyikā) (प्रबंधकल्पनां स्तोकसत्यां प्राज्ञाः कथा (kathā)ं विदुः । परंपराश्रया या स्यात् सा मताख्यायिका बुधैः (prabaṃdhakalpanāṃ stokasatyāṃ prājñāḥ kathāṃ viduḥ . paraṃparāśrayā yā syāt sā matākhyāyikā budhaiḥ)). See under आख्यायिका (ākhyāyikā). The phrase का कथा (kathā) (kā kathā) (lit. ‘what mention’) is often used in the sense of ‘much more so,’ or ‘much less so,’ अभितप्तमयोऽपि मार्दवं भजते कैव कथा (kathā)शरीरिषु (abhitaptamayo'pi mārdavaṃ bhajate kaiva kathāśarīriṣu) R. viii.43, आतवागनुमानाभ्यां साध्यं स्वां प्रति का कथा (kathā) (kā kathā) (ātavāganumānābhyāṃ sādhyaṃ svāṃ prati kā kathā) x.28. [ID=8007]
— Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary
— Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary
1. kathā, f. conversation, speech, tale; a fable, a feigned story; talk, mention; (in phil.) disputation; kā kathā (with gen. or more commonly with loc. and sometimes with prati), what should one say of? how should one speak of? (e. g. eko 'pi kṛcchrād varteta, bhūyasāṃ kathaiva kā, even one person would live with difficulty, what should one say of many? i. e. how much more many?). —Kathākrama (°thā-āk°), as, m. the commence- ment of a conversation. —Kathā-chala, am, n. the device of a fable. —Kathā-java, as, m., N. of a man. —Kathānurāga (°thā-an°), as, m. attention, taking pleasure in a discourse. —Kathānta (°thā- an°), as, m. end of a conversation. —Kathāntara (°thā-an°), am, n. the course of a conversation. —Kathā-pīṭha, N. of the first Lambaka or book of the Kathā-sarit-sāgara. —Kathā-prabandha, as, m. a narrative, a tale, a composed story, a fiction. —Ka- thā-prasaṅga, as, m. connection of speeches or discourse, talking, conversation, speaking to or with, rumour, report; (as, ā, am), talkative, talking much and foolishly, half-witted, foolish; a conjuror, a dealer in antidotes &c. —Kathā-prāṇa, as, m. an actor, the speaker of a prologue or monologue, the intro- ducer of a drama; a professed story-teller. —Kathā- maya, as, ī, am, consisting of tales. —Kathā-mukha, am, n. the introduction to a tale; N. of the second Lambaka or book of the Kathā-sarit-sāgara. —Kathā- yoga, as, m. conversation, talk, discourse. —Kathā- rambha (°thā-ār°), as, m. beginning of a story or narrative, story-telling. —Kathārambha-kāla (°thā- ār°), as, m. story-beginning-time. —Kathārāma (°thā-ār°), as, m. garden of fable. —Kathārṇava (°thā-ar°), as, m., N. of a collection of stories at- tributed to Śivadāsa. —Kathālāpa (°thā-āl°), as, m. speech, conversation. —Kathāvaśeṣa (°thā-av°), or kathā-śeṣa, as, ā, am, one of whom only the narrative remains, i. e. deceased, dead; kathāva- śeṣatāṃ gataḥ, deceased, dead. —Kathā-virakta, as, ā, am, reserved, taciturn, disliking conversation. —Kathā-saṅgraha, as, m. a collection of tales or fables. —Kathā-sarit-sāgara, as, m. the ocean of the rivers of stories; title of a work of Somadeva. —Kathodaya (°thā-ud°), as, m. the beginning of a tale, introduction to a tale. —Kathodghāta (°thā- ud°), as, m. the opening of a drama by the character that first enters overhearing and repeating the last words of the prelude. —Kathopakathana (°thā-up°), am, n. conversation, conference, narration. —Katho- pākhyāna (°thā-up°), am, n. narration, narrative, relation, telling a story. [ID=13520]
— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)
Derived Terms: Forms & Structure of Narratives/Conversations
4 definitions
1 the second of the five kinds of प्रस्तावना (prastāvanā), where the first character enters the stage after over-hearing and repeating either the words of the manager ( सूत्रधार (sūtradhāra)) or their sense; see Sāhityadarpaṇa 290 ; e. g. in Ratn., Ve. or Mudrārākṣasa.
2 commencement of a tale or narration; आकुमारकथोद्धातं शालिगोप्यो (ākumārakathoddhātaṃ śāligopyo) जगुर्यशः (jaguryaśaḥ) Raghuvaṃśa (Bombay) 4. 20.
— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary
— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary
1 the guise of a fable.
2 giving a false account.
— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary
1 the introductory part of a tale or story.
2 N. of the first लंबक (laṃbaka) or book of the कथासरित्सागर (kathāsaritsāgara).
— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary
Derived Terms: Roles, Qualities, & States
3 definitions
— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary
1 talkative, talking much and foolishly.
2 mad, foolish. (
— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary
— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary
Disputation, Philosophical Discussion
3 definitions
— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)
कथा (kathā) [कथ् नि (kath ni)° अ (° a)]
6 (In phil.) Disputation. का कथा (kathā) (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 (kathā) (kā kathā) बाणसंधाने ज्याशब्देनैव दूरतः । (kā kathā bāṇasaṃdhāne jyāśabdenaiva dūrataḥ .) हुंकारेणेव धनुषः स हि विघ्नानपोहति (huṃkāreṇeva dhanuṣaḥ sa hi vighnānapohati) Śakuntalā (Bombay) 3. 1 ; अभितप्तमयोपि मार्दवं भजते कैव (abhitaptamayopi mārdavaṃ bhajate kaiva) कथा (kathā) शरीरिषु (kathā śarīriṣu) Raghuvaṃśa (Bombay) 8. 43 ; आप्तवागनुमानाभ्यां साध्यं त्वां प्रति (prati) का कथा (kathā) (kā kathā) (āptavāganumānābhyāṃ sādhyaṃ tvāṃ prati kā kathā) 10. 28 ; Veṇīsaṃhāra 2. 25.
— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary
Kathā. — The later use of this word1 in the sense of a ‘philo- sophical discussion’ appears in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad.2
[Footnote: 1) Colebrooke, Miscellaneous Essays, 1, 293.]
[Footnote: 2) i. 8, 1: hantodgīthe kathāṃ vadāma, ‘let us begin a discussion regarding the Udgītha.’]
[ID=506]
— The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects
Talk, Conversation, Speech
3 definitions
1. कथा (kathā) f. (for 2. See col. 3) conversation, speech, talking together, Āśvalāyana-gṛhya-sūtra (Title) ; Mahābhārata (Title) ; Manu-smṛti (Title) &c. [ID=42706]
— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)
कथा (kathā) [कथ् नि (kath ni)° अ (° a)]
4 Talk, conversation, speech; प्रथमं कृतां कथा (kathā)ं (prathamaṃ kṛtāṃ kathāṃ) Śakuntalā (Bombay) 4. 1.
— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary
1 conversation, talk or course of conversation; नानाकथाप्रसंगावस्थितः (nānākathāprasaṃgāvasthitaḥ) Hitopadeśa (Nirṇaya Sāgara Edition) 1 ; कथाप्रसंगेन (kathāprasaṃgena) विवादं किल चक्रतुः (kathāprasaṃgena vivādaṃ kila cakratuḥ) Kathāsaritsāgara 22. 181 ; Naiṣadhacarita 1. 35.
2 a curer of poisons (विषवैद्य (viṣavaidya)); कथाप्रसंगेन (kathāprasaṃgena) जनैरुदाहृतात् (janairudāhṛtāt) Kirātārjunīya 1. 24 (where the word is used in sense 1 also).
— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary
Literary Genre (Prose Composition)
2 definitions
— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)
कथा (kathā) [कथ् नि (kath ni)° अ (° a)]
5 A variety of prose composition, often distinguished from आख्यायिका (ākhyāyikā); (प्रबंधकल्पनां स्तोकसत्यां प्राज्ञाः कथा (kathā)ं (prabaṃdhakalpanāṃ stokasatyāṃ prājñāḥ kathāṃ) विदुः । परंपराश्रया या स्यात् सा मताख्यायिका (viduḥ . paraṃparāśrayā yā syāt sā matākhyāyikā) बुधैः ॥ (budhaiḥ ..)); see under आख्यायिका (ākhyāyikā) also.
— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary
Mention, Account, Statement
2 definitions
— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)
कथा (kathā) [कथ् नि (kath ni)° अ (° a)]
3 An account, allusion, mention; कथा (kathā)पि खलु (kathāpi khalu) पापानामलमश्रेयसे यतः (pāpānāmalamaśreyase yataḥ) Śiśupālavadha 2. 40.
— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary
Idiom: 'kā kathā'
1 definition
— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)
Personified Story
1 definition
— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)
Specific Named Kathās or Contextual Uses
1 definition
Kathā — of Kāma and Keśava to be narrated in Mada- nadvādaśīvrata. M. 7. 14. [ID=2410]
— The Purana Index
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Definitions on this page come from 13 works: Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary, Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872), Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899), Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary, The Purana Index, The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects, Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon.