Kavyam.. mantra.. sootram

Kavyam.. mantra.. sootram
A good friend asked
could you enlighten a layman like me on the difference between a mantra, shloka, kavya and sutra
I gave an answer as a layman.. My answer is repeated here ..
"The field of definition of the above items is too vast.. and with very many varied rules and conflicts too..
That is definitely beyond the scope of this post.. It is too vast.. But the general ideas from a layman's angle would be as given below..
A Slokam will be a collection of meaningful words, and the collection would have a combined meaning, and would be bound by metrical rules .. Vrittam and Chandas...
There are many types of Vrittams and Chandas..
There will be structural symmetry and the recitation would be pleasant to the ears.. with some regular repetition of pattern.. A simple sentence in Sanskrit need not have such qualities..(of course some write attractive prose resonating like poetry)
The first Slokam of poetic value is famed to be the metrical creation of Valmiki..
Maanishaada pratishataam tvam agamaH sashvatee samaam, etc..मा निषाद प्रतिष्ठांत्वं अगम शाश्वती समा .. This composition led to the creation of the epic and aadikaayam, Ramayana
Kavyam. is defined by too many masters ..
Any poetic work in Sanskrit, written in Oranamental and catchy language can be a Kavyam.. though purists assign so many conditions for a work to be called a Kavyam..
Primarily we have Kavyam in Verse.. Raghuvamsam etc..
But we have Kavyam in Prose too like Kadambari of BaanaBhatta.
.We have historical Kavyams like Rajatharangini of Kalhana.. Lyrical Kavyam like Geetagovindam of Jayadeva and so on Natakam or drama too comes under the umbrella of Kavyam in Sanskrit( Kaavyeshu Naatakam Ramyam..काव्येषु नाटकं रम्यं)
Mantram is usually an invocation to a deity,, with praise, prayer, request, command etc..
Sometimes it can be an inspirational call too..
Mananaat Thraayate iti MantraH.. something which would protect us if we just think over the invocation repeatedly.. and thinking with making oral delivery is chanting..
Mantram can be just a sentence with meaning, a string of letters with meaning or which may contain just letters called beejaaksharam etc.. Spell, litany .. all can come under mantram..
According to the standard rules of mantras, we will have a devata or deity, a chandas, and a rishi for each mantram.. but there can be mantrms without these..
Mantrams can be slokams or mere sentence, with meaning or without articulate meanings too..
Many secret mantrams have no intelligible meanings at all
..
And Sootram.. is a String
We have the famous Sootrams of Panini.. on Grammar.. Of Patanjali on Yoga, There are many Sulabha sootrams.. Then Badarayanas Brahmasootram
The sootrams are just strings of meaningful words or strings of letters or character packed into complex words again combined to terse sentences..
Somethng like a zipped record.. Every letter or syllable which can be struck off from a word or group of words and still if it could convey the core import or subject matter, and the truncated word or group of words would be used in the Sootram..
It is rather an educational tool for memorization in toto.. and when reproduced, with some analysis could reconstruct the whole and vast ideas conveyed so briefly..
Sootras as explained by the authors themselves or other scholars, through Vaarthikaas, Bhashyams and even Teekas to the Bhashyams..
I have answered the question as a layman..
To delve deep into the definitions and the controversies germane in such discussions, is beyond me.."
regards
k v ananthanarayanan