सूत्रम्- sūtra

 

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सूत्रम्- sūtra  

Etymology

सूत्रम् = सूत्र+अच्

sūtram = sūtra+ac


The root here is Sūtra. The meaning of the root is  veṣṭane vimocane granthane ca (to put in thread, to release, to cover with thread)[1]

To the above root - the suffix added is ac (erac - aṣṭādhyāyī 3.3.56). The meaning brought in by the suffix is karaṇa (instrumentality).

Hence, the meaning that emerges through the etymology is – that by which stringing is done - sūtryate aneneti sūtram.

 

Lexicon

In the lexicon amarakośa we find the following reference on the term sūtra –

sūtrāṇi nari tantavaḥ (2.10.28)

sūtra (is a neuter form) and tantu is a masculine form (indicate thread).

 

Though the reference from this lexicon does not add anything new, the Sudhā commentary[2] to the above verse of amarakośa quotes hemacandra lexicon where it is stated –

sūcanākārigranthe tantuvyasthayoḥ

Sūtra refers to the text that is full of various indications, it also means thread and arrangement.
 

Textual occurrences

Yogasūtra - It is to be noted that though the text is in sūtra format, in the body of the text the word sūtra is not used.

Bhagavadgītā

There are three occurrences of the term sūtra in this text. The three occurrences are as follows –

1.     mayi sarvamidaṁ protaṁ sūtre maṇigaṇā iva ॥ 7.7 ॥

Everything is stringed in me like precious stones in a thread.

2.     brahmasūtrapadaiścaiva hetumadbhirviniścitaiḥ ॥ 13.4 ॥

By statements that indicate Brahman, which are logical and affirmative (the concepts of kṣetra-kṣetrajña are sung)

3.     viṣādī dīrghasūtrī ca kartā tāmasa ucyate ॥ 18.28 ॥

… a rueful, procrastinating doer is Tāmasic in nature.

In the third reference above the word  dīrghasūtrī (the one who procrastinates) contains the term sūtra. The derivation of dīrghasūtrī  is given as follows - dīrghaṃ sūtraṃ kartavyavyāpāro'styasa – the one who has a long thread – meaning – work to be accomplished[3].   

Haṭhayogapradīpikā

The term sūtra is found in just one verse in this text. As can be seen below - It is used in the sense of thread and it is part of Yogic cleansing practice called Neti.  

sūtraṁ vitasti susnigdhaṁ nāsānāle praveśayet ।
mukhānnirgamayeccaiṣā netiḥ siddhaiḥ nigadyate ॥ 2.29 ॥

One should insert a soft thread of a length vitasti (12 finger length) through the nostril and draw it out through the mouth. This is called as Neti by the Siddhas.

Observations 
 
It is interesting to note that though the entire Yogasūtra is in a sūtra  format the term itself is not found to be used in the text.
 
In other texts also the word sūtra is more prevalently used to indicate a thread than the sūtra  literature.
 
 

[2] amarakoṣa, sudhāvyākhyā, caukhambā saṃskṛtapratiṣṭhāna,Delhi, 2002, pg.347

 

 

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