Word of the day: sUtra

definition:

sUtra n. (accord. to g. %{ardhacA7di} also m. ; fr. %{siv} , `” to sew “‘ , and connected with %{sUci} and %{sUnA}) a thread , yarn , string , line , cord , wire AV. &c. &c. ; a measuring line (cf. %{-pAta}) Hariv. VarBr2S. &c. ; the sacred thread or cord worn by the first three classes (cf. %{yajJo7pavIta}) BhP. ; a girdle ib. ; a fibre Ka1lid. ; a line , stroke MBh. VarBr2S. Gol. ; a sketch , plan Ra1jat. ; that which like a thread runs through or holds together everything , rule , direction BhP. ; a short sentence or aphoristic rule , and any work or manual consisting of strings of such rules hanging together like threads (these Su1tra works form manuals of teaching in ritual , philosophy , grammar &c.: e.g. in ritual there are first the S3rauta-su7tras , and among them the Kalpa-su7tras , founded directly on S3ruti q.v. ; they form a kind of rubric to Vedic ceremonial , giving concise rules for the performance of every kind of sacrifice [IW. 146 &c.] ; other kinds of SñS3ruti works are the Gr2ihya-su1tras and Sa1maya1ca1rika or Dharma-su1tras i.e. `” rules for domestic ceremonies and conventional customs “‘ , sometimes called collectively Sma1rta-su1tras [as founded on %{smRti} or `" tradition "' see %{smArta}] ; these led to the later Dharmas3a1stras or `” law-books “‘ [IW. 145] ; in philosophy each system has its regular text-book of aphorisms written in Su1tras by its supposed founder [IW. 60 &c.] ; in Vya1karan2a or grammar there are the celebrated Su1tras of Pa1n2ini in eight books , which are the groundwork of a vast grammatical literature ; with Buddhists , Pa1s3upatas &c. the term Su1tra is applied to original text books as opp. to explanatory works ; with Jainas they form part of the Dr2isht2iva1da) IW. 162 &c. ; a kind of tree DivyA7v.

I love this. A suutra, a phrase in the classic texts, means that which is sewn, a thread that unites. So poetic.

Hence books like Charaka, Yoga Sutras and others that are full of suutras really represent tapestries. Do a visual map. Hang them on the wall. Have a look at them all at once.

We’ll be doing a suutra of the day occassionally. These will be from many disciplines.

But different strands from different tapestries will still weave together. So enjoy the seeming unrelatedness, and maybe something new will happen.