Patha
पाठ
pāṭha
Lesson
Veda is transferred from generation to generation by aural tradition. The Rishis were very particular about protecting the Samhita, the collection of revealed mantras. Patha are a methods of chanting (and protecting) the mantras. The Rishis have devised various method of chanting mantras
There are many Pathas. Each of them differ by the order of selecting the words and syllables and repeating it. There are eleven Patha (methods): samhita(vakya) , pada , karma , jata , mala , sikha , rekha , dhvaja , danda , ratha , ghana
In samhitapatha the mantra is chanted in the natural order. In padapatha each word in a mantra is clearly separated from the next. In kramapatha the first word of a mantra is joined to the second, the second to the third, the third to the fourth, and so on, until we come to the final word.
The remaining 8 patha are called Vikrtipatha . They have very complex order of selecting the words and syllables.
| Word | Sanskrit | IAST | In General | Veda | Purana | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chandi Patha | चण्डीपाठः | caṇḍī Pāṭha | See: DeviMahtmya | Read More | ||
| Jatapatha | जटापाठ | jaṭāpāṭha | Veda is transferred from generation to generation by aural tradition. The Rishies were... | In Jatapatha , the first word of the mantra is chanted with the second, then the order is... | Read More | |
| Kramapatha | क्रमपाठ | kramapāṭha | A method of reciting Vedamantra | A method of reciting Vedamantra V:Veda is transferred from generation to... | Read More | |
| Padapatha | पदपाठ | padapāṭha | Veda is transferred from generation to generation by aural tradition. The Rishis were... | In padapatha each word in a mantra is clearly separated from the next and chanted in the... | Read More | |
| Prakrtipatha | प्रकृतिपाठ | prakṛtipāṭha | The Samhitapatha and padapatha together are called prakrtipatha, the natural way of... | Read More | ||
| Samhitapatha | संहितापाठ | sāṃhitāpāṭha | Veda is transferred from generation to generation by aural tradition. The Rishis were... | Samhita patha is the normal chanting of the Vedamantra. In yaga the samhithapatha method... | Read More | |
| Sathapatha Brahmana | शतपथब्राह्मण | śatapathabrāhmaṇa | Sathapatha Brahmana belong to the Vajasneyi Madhyamika Samhita of Shukla Yajur Veda. This... | As the name suggest the Sathapatha Brahmana is of hundred paths or sections; it is ... | Read More | |
| Shathapatha Brahmana | शतपथब्राह्मण | śatapathabrāhmaṇa | Sathapatha Brahmana belong to the Vajasneyi Madhyamika Samhita of Shukla Yajur Veda. This... | As the name suggest the Sathapatha Brahmana is of hundred paths or sections and is ... | Read More | |
| Vikrtipatha | विकृतिपाठ | vikṛtiipāṭha | There are eleven methods of chanting Veda mantras. All these different methods of... | Vikrtipatha is considered as an error checking and correction method. The eight vikrti... | Read More |