# सूत्र (sūtra)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/sutra

सूत्र (sūtra) is a Sanskrit word meaning a thread, yarn, string, line, cord, or wire, a measuring line, the sacred thread or cord worn by the first three classes, a girdle, a fibre, a line or stroke. Its 23 recorded definitions are grouped into 7 contexts, among them Physical Thread, Cord, String, Line, Fibre, Aphoristic Rule, Text, or Manual, Verbal Meanings (e.g., to thread, to compose).

- **Roots:** सिव् (siv), सीव् (sīv)
- **Etymology:** E. षिव् to sew, ष्ट्रन् Unādi aff., and इव changed to ऊ; or सूत्र to string, अच् aff — E. ṣiv to sew, ṣṭran Unādi aff., and iva changed to ū; or sūtra to string, ac aff
- **SLP1:** `sUtra`  **IAST:** sūtra  **Devanagari:** सूत्र
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/sutra/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### Physical Thread, Cord, String, Line, Fibre (11 definitions)
- A thread, yarn, string, line, cord, or wire.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 1241,3] सूत्र (sūtra) n. ( accord. to g. अर्धचा (ardhacā) दि (di) also m.; fr. √ सिव् (siv), ‘to sew’, and connected with सूचि (sūci) and सूना (sūnā) ) a thread, yarn, string, line, cord, wire, AV. &c. &c. [ ID=251185 ]
- a fibre  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a fibre, Kālid. [ ID=251189 ]
- a line or stroke  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a line, stroke, MBh.; VarBṛS.; Gol. [ ID=251190 ]
- 1. Thread, string, or cord. 2. Sacred cord. 3. Measuring line, fibre, or line. 4. Sketch or plan. 5. Concise rule, aphorism, or manual.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सूत्र (sūtra) [Printed book page 357-1 ] सूत्र (sūtra) sū́-tra, n. [√sīv] V., C. : thread, string, cor ( ord. mg. ); C.; sacred cord ( worn over the left shoulder by the three upper castes ); measuring line; fibre; line; sketch, plan; (thread running through and holding together =) concise rule or aphorism; manual consisting of aphoristic rules: -ka, n. thread, cord; -kāra, m. author of a Sūtra work or Page357-2 manual; -tantu, m. thread; -daridra, a. (poor in threads =) threadbare: -tā, f. threadbare condition; -dhāra, m. [holder of the measuring line] carpenter, builder, architect; [wire-puller =] stage-manager; —° m., ī, f. leading spirit in; -pāta, m. drop of the measuring line: -ṃ kṛ or car, measure, compare; -piṭaka, m. n. (basket =) collection of the Buddhistic Sūtras; -prota, pp. attached to (= worked by) strings ( puppet ); -bhṛt, m. stage-manager. [ ID=19627 ]
- 1. A thread. 2. A rule, precept, or technical sentence in science, law, or religion. 3. A legal opinion or decree. 4. A string or collection of threads.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सूत्र (sūtra) m. ( - त्रं (-traṃ) ) 1 A thread in general. 2 A rule, a precept, in morals or science; a short, obscure, and technical sentence, enjoining some observance in law or religion, or intimating some rule in grammar, logic, &c.; in each case it is the fundamental and primitive part of Hindu learning, and is the form in which the works of the early and supposed inspired writers appear; the ingenuity and labour of subsequent authors having expanded and explained the original Sūtras in various commentaries and glosses. 3 An opinion or decree in law. 4 A string, a collection of threads, as that worn by the three first classes, &c. E. षिव (ṣiva) to sew, ष्ट्रन् (ṣṭran) Uṇādi aff., and इव (iva) changed to ऊ (ū), or सूत्र (sūtra) to string, क (ka) aff. [ ID=42591 ]
- 1. A thread or Brahminic thread. 2. A line, verse, or text. 3. A rule or decree of law.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सूत्र (sūtra) ( त्रं ) ((traṃ)) 1. n. A thread, a Brāhmani- cal thread; a line; verse, text; rule; decree of law. [ ID=42381 ]
- 1. A thread, string, or cord. 2. A fiber. 3. A collection of threads. 4. The sacred thread worn by the first three classes. 5. The string or wire of a puppet. 6. A short rule, precept, or aphorism. 7. A manual containing aphoristic rules. 8. A legal rule, canon, or decree.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सूत्र (sūtra) [Printed book page 791-11 ] सूत्र (sūtra) n. 1. A thread, string, line, cord, मणौ वज्रसमुत्कीर्णे सूत्र (sūtra) स्येवास्ति मे गतिः (maṇau vajrasamutkīrṇe sūtrasyevāsti me gatiḥ) R. i.4, Bg. vii.7; 2. a fibre, कर्षति खण्डिताग्रात् सूत्र (sūtra) ं मृणालादिव राजहंसी (karṣati khaṇḍitāgrāt sūtraṃ mṛṇālādiva rājahaṃsī) Vikr. i., K.S. i.40; 3. a collection of threads; 4. the sacred thread or cord worn by the first three classes, पाणौ कार्मुकमक्षसूत्र (sūtra) वलयं दंडोऽपरः पैप्पलः (pāṇau kārmukamakṣasūtravalayaṃ daṃḍo'paraḥ paippalaḥ) Mv. i., K.S. iii.46; 5. the string or wire of a puppet; 6. a short rule or precept; 7. any work or manual containing such aphoristic rules, (e.g. आपस्तंबसूत्र (sūtra) (āpastaṃbasūtra), बौधायनसूत्र (sūtra) (baudhāyanasūtra) ); 8. a short concise sentence used as a memorial rule; (it is thus defined- स्वल्पाक्षरमसंदिग्धं सारवद्विश्वतोमुखम् । अस्तोभमनवद्यं च सूत्र (sūtra) ं सूत्र (sūtra) विदो विदुः (svalpākṣaramasaṃdigdhaṃ sāravadviśvatomukham. astobhamanavadyaṃ ca sūtraṃ sūtravido viduḥ) ); 9. any rule, canon or decree (in law). [ ID=41369 ]
- 1. A thread or fibre. 2. A rule, precept, short technical sentence, or aphorism in science, law, religion, or grammar. 3. An opinion or legal decree. 4. A collection of threads or a sacred cord. 5. The string or wire of a puppet.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सूत्र (sūtra) n. ( - त्रं (-traṃ) ) 1. A thread in general. 2. A rule, a precept, in morals or science; a short, obscure, and technical sentence, enjoying some observance in law or religion, or intimating some rule in grammar, logic, &c.; in each case it is the fundamental and primitive part of Hindu learning, and is the form in which the works of the early and supposed inspired writers appear; the ingenuity and labour of subsequent authors having expanded and explained the original Sūtras in various commentaries and glosses. 3. An opinion or decree, (in law.) 4. A string, a collection of threads, as that worn by the three first classes, &c. 5. The string or wire of a puppet. 6. A fibre. E. षिव् (ṣiv) to sew, ष्ट्रन् (ṣṭran) Unādi aff., and इव (iva) changed to ऊ; (ū;) or सूत्र (sūtra) to string, अच् (ac) aff. [ ID=44847 ]
- 1. A thread or fibre. 2. A string or holy string. 3. A short aphorism or rule in morals or science. 4. An opinion or decree in law.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सूत्र (sūtra) [Printed book page 1053-a ] सूत्र (sūtra) sūtra, i. e. siv + tra, n. 1. A thread, Hit. 65, 13. 2. Fibre, Vikr. d. 19. 3. A string, Vikr. d. 140; the holy string, d. 157. 4. A rule in morals or science, a short aphorism, e. g. the rules of Pāṇini. 5. An opinion or decree in law. — Comp. Kaṭi-, n. a zone, Bhāg. P. 5, 3, 4. Kaṇṭha-, n. a kind of embracing, Ragh. 19, 32. Kalpa-, n. a sūtra or rule concerning ritual. Kāla-, n. the name of a hell, Man. 3, 249. Dirgha-, adj. irresolute, Pañc. 245, 23. ( dirgha -sūtra + tā, f. procrastination, Rām. 2, 72, 96, Seramp). A-dīrgha-, adj. reso- Page1053-b+ 40 lute. Dharma-, I. n. a work on law, Utt. Rāmac. 71, 12. II. m. a proper name, Bhāg. P. 9, 22, 16. Brahma- sūtra, i. e. brahman-, n. title of a ve- dantic work, Lass. 2. ed. 87, 14 (see śārīraka- ). Māna-, n. 1. a chain of gold or silver worn round the loins. 2. a thread for measuring, Daśak. in Chr. 186, 11. Mūla-, n. a principal precept, Cāṇ. 3 in Berl. Monatsb. 1864, p. 407. Yajña-, n. the sacrificial cord. Śā- rīraka-, n. statement concerning the embodied spirit, i. e. the Brahmasūtras of Bādarāyaṇa, Vedāntas. in Chr. 202, 7. Sāvitrī-, n. the sacrificial cord. Hasta-, n. a bracelet. [ ID=16297 ]
- 1. Thread, cord, or wire, especially the sacred thread worn by the first three classes. 2. A line, brief rule, or a book of such rules.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सूत्र (sūtra) [Printed book page 631 ] सूत्र (sūtra) n. thread, cord, esp. the sacred cord worn by the first three classes; string, wire; line, brief rule or a book of such rules. [ ID=37876 ]
- 1. Thread or cord. 2. A brief rule or a book of such rules.  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > सूत्र (sūtra) [Printed book page 275-b ] sū́tra, n. —1. thread; cord; —2. brief rule or book of such rules (so called, perhaps, because each rule was a short ‘line’ or because the collection was a ‘string’ of rules), cf. Whitney xvii. [ √sīv, q. v. ] [ ID=4685 ]

### Aphoristic Rule, Text, or Manual (4 definitions)
- that which runs through or holds together everything; a rule or direction  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > that which like a thread runs through or holds together everything, rule, direction, BhP. [ ID=251192 ]
- A short sentence or aphoristic rule, and any manual consisting of such rules used in ritual, philosophy, or grammar.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a short sentence or aphoristic rule, and any work or manual consisting of strings of such rules hanging together like threads (these Sūtra works form manuals of teaching in ritual, philosophy, grammar &c.: e.g. in ritual there are first the Śrauta-sūtras, and among them the Kalpa-sūtras, founded directly on Śruti q.v.; they form a kind of rubric to Vedic ceremonial, giving concise rules for the performance of every kind of sacrifice [ Indian Wisdom, by Sir M. Monier-Williams (Title) 146 &c.]; other kinds of Ś° works are the Gṛhya-sūtras and Sāmayācārika or Dharma-sūtras i.e. ‘rules for domestic ceremonies and conventional customs’, sometimes called collectively Smārta-sūtras [as founded on स्मृति (smṛti) or ‘tradition’, see स्मार्त (smārta) ]; these led to the later Dharmaśāstras or ‘law-books’ [ Indian Wisdom, by Sir M. Monier-Williams (Title) 145 ]; in philosophy each system has its regular text-book of aphorisms written in Sūtras by its supposed founder [ Indian Wisdom, by Sir M. Monier-Williams (Title) 60 &c.]; in Vyākaraṇa or grammar there are the celebrated Sūtras of Pāṇini in eight books, which are the groundwork of a vast grammatical literature; with Buddhists, Pāśupatas &c. the term Sūtra is applied to original text books as opp. to explanatory works; with Jainas they form part of the Dṛṣṭivāda), Indian Wisdom, by Sir M. Monier-Williams (Title) 162 &c. [ ID=251193 ]
- 1. A thread, string, line, cord, fibre, or wire. 2. The sacred thread worn by the first three classes. 3. The string or wire of a puppet. 4. A short rule, precept, axiom, or aphorism. 5. A manual consisting of aphoristic rules. 6. A rule, law, canon, or decree.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > सूत्र (sūtra) [Printed book page 1131-b ] Sūtra, am, n. (fr. rt. siv, ‘to sew;’ but said to be connected with rt. sūtr above), a thread, string, line, cord; fibre, wire; a collection of threads; the sacred thread or cord worn by the first three classes, (see yajñopavīta, p. 804); the string or wire of a puppet or doll; a short rule or precept, axiom, aphorism (in morals, religion, or science; iti sū- treṇa, according to such an aphorism); a short and technical sentence or metrical line used as a memorial rule to aid in the acquirement of any system (and hence generally expressed in brief and obscure and sometimes symbolical language, intelligible only to those who possess the key to its interpretation, this key being sometimes given in separate Sūtras called Paribhāṣās, and the right understanding of a whole series or chain of rules depending on a knowledge of the Adhikāra or heading-rule and its influence [ anu- vṛtti ] on those that follow; these short sentences and aphoristic rules, the use of which constitutes a most curious feature in the literary history of the Hindūs, appear to have been often mere aids to the memory of teachers — mere hints to guide lecturers in their oral explications; they were also especially useful in this way to the priests who had the management of a complicated ritual); any work or manual consisting of strings or long lines of the above aphoristic rules and sentences hanging toge- ther like threads, (though the term sūtra may possibly indicate not so much a line or series of rules as rules written on leaves which were kept together by strings; these Sūtra works form a sort of groundwork or foundation of teaching, not only in all religious ritual, but in philosophy, in grammar, and in the collateral subjects of accent, euphony, etymology, and prosody: thus in religion and ritual there are first the Śrauta-sūtras, and among them principally the Kalpa-sūtras, founded directly on Śruti, q. v., and treating especially of ritual; they form a kind of rubric or directory to Vedic cere- monial, or in other words, a complete systema- tized guide to the rambling discursive Brāhmaṇa as distinct from the Mantra portion of the Veda [see brāhmaṇa ], giving concise rules for the perform- ance of every kind of sacrifice; there are Sūtras of this kind by Āśvalāyana and Śāṅkhāyana for the Ṛg-veda; by Kātyāyana for the White Yajur-veda; by Āpastamba, Baudhāyana, and the Mānavas for the Black Yajur-veda; by Lāṭyāyana, Drāhyāyaṇa, Maśaka, and Gobhila for the Sāma-veda; and by Kuśika for the Atharva-veda; there are also two other kinds of Sūtras connected with ceremonial, viz. the Grihya-sūtras and Sāmayācārika or Dharma- sūtras [often by the same authors, with special refer- ence also to each separate Veda, and even placed by some, like the Kalpa, under the head of Sūtras founded on Śruti], which are really ‘rules for domestic ceremonies and conventional customs,’ and are some- times called collectively Smārta-sūtras [as founded on smṛti or ‘tradition,’ see smārta ]; these led to the later Dharma-śāstras or ‘law-books’ attributed to Manu, Yājñavalkya, Parāśara, &c., the names of the authors of the Sūtras and of the law-books being often identical; in philosophy each system has its regular text-book of aphorisms written in Sūtras by its supposed founder, see vedānta-sūtra, nyāya-s°, Page1131-c+ 81 sāṅkhya-s°, mīmāṃsā-s°, vaiśeṣika-s°, yoga-s°; in Vyākaraṇa or grammar there are the celebrated Sūtras of Pāṇini in eight books, which are the groundwork of a vast grammatical literature, besides the Uṇādi-sūtras on certain affixes; in Vedic accent and phonetics there are the Prātiśākhyas [see prāti- śākhya ] and the Phiṭ-sūtras of Śāntanava; in etymology there are strings of Vedic words, and in prosody there are the Sūtras of Piṅgala-nāga on Chandas, including both Vedic and non-Vedic metres, and the Nidāna-sūtra on the metres of the Sāma-veda and Vedic metres generally: it should be borne in mind that the mixture of Ślokas in some of the Prātiśākhyas and in some more recent Sūtra works, though depriving them of the brevity strictly necessary to constitute Sūtras, does not prevent their being regarded as collections of aphoristic and me- morial rules: with regard to grammatical Sūtras it is necessary to remember that all connecting words used as prepositions, however necessary to the sense, are omitted; thus, a word in the genitive case re- quires sthāne, ‘instead of,’ to be supplied; a word in the ablative requires param, ‘after;’ a word in the instrumental requires saha, ‘together with;’ a word in the locative, though sometimes to be translated in the ordinary way by prefixing ‘in,’ may often be used as a locative absolute, and pare must then be supplied, the sense being ‘on such an affix or word coming after or following;’ the word vā is equivalent to ‘optionally’ or ‘alternative’); any rule, law, canon, decree (in law &c.). —Sūtra-kaṇṭha, as, m. ‘hav- ing Sūtras in the throat or mouth ready to be repeated,’ a Brāhman; ‘having lines on the throat,’ a pigeon, dove; a wagtail. —Sūtra-karman, a, n. ‘rule-work,’ carpentry. —Sūtra-kāra, as, m. the author or composer of Sūtras. —Sūtra-kṛt, t, m. ‘Sūtra-maker,’ the author of an aphorism or set of aphorisms. —Sūtra-koṇa or sūtra-koṇaka, as, m. a small drum shaped like an hour-glass and struck by a string and button (= ḍamaru). —Sūtra- gaṇḍikā, f. a kind of stick used by weavers in spinning threads. —Sūtra-graha, as, ā, am, hold- ing a thread. —Sūtra-grāha, as, ī, am, taking a thread. —Sūtra-caraṇa, N. of a class of Caraṇas or Vedic schools who introduced various Sūtra works. —Sūtra-tantu, us, m. a thread, string, line. —Sū- tra-tarkuṭī, f. a distaff, spindle. —Sūtra-dhara, as, m. = sūtra-dhāra. —Sūtra-dhāra, as, m. ‘rule- holder, thread-holder,’ a stage-manager, a director or principal actor who arranges the plot of a drama and takes a leading part in the prelude; a carpenter; the author of a set of rules or aphorisms; epithet of Indra. —Sūtra-piṭaka, as, m., N. of one of the three collections of Buddhist writings (viz. those which prescribe rules for the laity, see tri-piṭaka ). —Sūtra-puṣpa, as, m. ‘thread-flowered,’ the cotton plant. —Sūtra-bhid, t, m. ‘thread-cutter,’ a tailor. —Sūtra-bhṛt, t, m. = sūtra-dhāra. —Sū- tra-madhya-bhū, ūs, f. ‘born amid threads or fibres,’ the resin or Shorea Robusta; incense. —Sū- tra-yantra, am, n. ‘thread-machine,’ a shuttle; a weaver's loom. —Sūtra-vid, t, m. ‘a Sūtra-knower,’ one versed in Sūtras. —Sūtra-vīṇā, f. a kind of lute (= lābukī). —Sūtra-veṣṭana, am, n. a weaver's shuttle; the act of weaving. —Sūtrātman (°ra-āt°), ā, ā, a, having the nature of a string or thread; ( ā ), m. ‘soul-thread,’ intellect having for its site the collective totality of subtile bodies; the soul. —Sū- trālī (°ra-ālī), f. a string of beads &c. worn round the neck, necklace. [ ID=52518 ]
- 1. A thread. 2. A book of rules for rituals and guidance.  
  *The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects*
  > सूत्र (sūtra) [Printed book page 2-463 ] Sūtra has the sense of ‘thread’ in the Atharvaveda 1 and later. 2 In the sense of a ‘book of rules’ for the guidance of sacrificers and so forth, the word occurs in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. 3 [ Footnote: 1) iii. 9, 3; xviii. 8, 37.] [ Footnote: 2) Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, iii. 2, 4, 14; vii. 3, 2, 13; xii. 3, 4, 2; 7, 2, 10; Chāndogya Upaniṣad, vi. 8, 2; Nirukta, iv. 6.] [ Footnote: 3) ii. 4, 10; iv. 1, 6 (Mādhyaṃdina = iv. 1, 2 Kāṇva); 5, 11. Cf. Weber, Indische Studien, 5, 24, 25; Sieg, Die Sagenstoffe des Ṛgveda, 21.] [ ID=3645 ]

### Verbal Meanings (e.g., to thread, to compose) (3 definitions)
- To bind, to thread, or to string.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सूत्र (sūtra) [Printed book page 940 ] सूत्र (sūtra) r. 10th cl. ( सूचयति (sūcayati) ) To bind, to thread, to string. [ ID=42590 ]
- To thread, string.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सूत्र (sūtra) [Printed book page 863-a ] सूत्र (sūtra) ( कत् ) सूत्र (sūtra) यति ((kat) sūtrayati) 10. a. To thread, string. [ ID=42380 ]
- 1. To bind, thread, or string. 2. To write in the form of a concise rule. 3. To plan or systematize. 4. To unbind or loosen.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सूत्र (sūtra) [Printed book page 800-a ] सूत्र (sūtra) r. 10th cl. ( सूत्र (sūtra) यति - ते (sūtrayati-te) ) 1. To bind, to thread, to string. 2. To write in the form of a concise rule. 3. To plan, to systematize. 4. To unbind. to loosen. [ ID=44846 ]

### Thread/String for Specific Functions (Measuring, Girdle) (2 definitions)
- a measuring line  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a measuring line ( cf. - पात (-pāta) ), Hariv.; VarBṛS. &c. [ ID=251186 ]
- a girdle  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a girdle, ib. [ ID=251188 ]

### A Type of Tree (1 definition)
- a kind of tree  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a kind of tree, Divyāv. [ ID=251194 ]

### Sacred Thread or Cord (Yajnopavita) (1 definition)
- the sacred thread or cord worn by the first three classes  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > the sacred thread or cord worn by the first three classes ( cf. यज्ञो (yajño) पवीत (pavīta) ), BhP. [ ID=251187 ]

### Sketch or Plan (1 definition)
- a sketch or plan  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a sketch, plan, Rājat. [ ID=251191 ]

## Sources

Definitions from 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 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, University of Cologne.

The Sanskrit Lexicon app for iPhone, iPad and Mac: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sanskrit-lexicon-dictionary/id6746787546