Sutra (सूत्र, Sūtra)
A Sutra denotes a distinct type of literary composition in the ancient India, based on short aphoristic statements, generally using various technical terms. This literary form was designed for concision, as the texts were intended to be memorized by students in some of the formal methods of scriptural and scientific study. Traditionally in the Indian literature, a Sutra is defined as(1):
अल्पाक्षरम् असन्दिग्धं सारवद् विश्वतोमुखम् | अस्तोभम् अनवध्यं च सूत्रं सुत्रविदोविदुः ||
alpākṣaram asandigdham sāravad viśvatomukham | astobham anavadhyam ca sūtram sūtravidoviduḥ ||
"Of minimal number of syllables, unambiguous, pithy, comprehensive, continuous, and without flaw: who knows the Sutra knows it to be thus".
There was a time in the history of Indian literature when the Sutra literature was so popular that all the basic and authoritative texts of the six schools of Indian Philosophy, Sanskrit Grammar etc., were composed in the Sutra format. It is interesting to know that sometimes the word Sutra would mean the respective fundamental or authoritative text alone of that school of Philosophy. For a follower of the Yoga school of philosophy, it would mean the Yogasutra of Patanjali and for a follower of the Vedanta (वेदान्त, Vedānta) school of philosophy it would mean the Vedantasutra (वेदान्तसूत्र, Vedantasūtra) of Badarayana (बादरायण, Bādarāyana) and so on.
Often the Sutra-s were transmitted orally in the traditional schools of learning and hence another form of literature called Bhashya-s (भाष्य, Bhāṣya or commentaries) were written to explain the Sutra-s.
Depending on the nature of expression found in the first Sutra, the Sutra works were classified as given below:
|
Sutra (सूत्र) |
Nature (as expressed in the respective first Sutra) |
|
Yoga (योग, Yoga) |
Anushasanam (अनुशासनम्, Anuśāsanam, Injunction in a traditional manner) |
|
Vedanta (वेदान्त, Vedānta), Mimamsa (मीमांसा, Mīmāmsā)
|
Jignasa (जिज्ञासा, Jigñasā, thirst for knowledge) |
|
Sankhya (साङ्ख्य, Sānkhya) |
Nivartaka (निवर्तक, Nivartaka, that which removes pain, misery etc..) |
|
Nyaya (न्याय, Nyāya) |
Tattvajnaapaka (तत्त्वज्ञापक, Tattvajñāpaka, that which teaches or reminds the essence of philosophy) |
|
Vaiseshika (वैशेषिक, Vaiśeṣika) |
Vyakhyanam (व्याख्यानम्, Vyākhyānam, explanation or elucidation) |
|
Apasthambagruhyasutra (आपस्तंबग्र्ह्यसूत्र, Āpastambagṛhyasūtra)
|
Acaragrahanam (आचारग्रहणं, Ācāragrahanam), that which teaches methods to Practice) |
References:
(1) Padmapurana