Sutra

Sūtra

... to sew'), as does the medical term "suture." The word "sutra" was very likely meant to apply quite literally to these texts, as they were written ... In ancient Indian literature, sutra denotes a distinct type of literary composition, based on short aphoristic statements, generally using various technical terms ... is highly condensed, another literary form arose in which commentaries (Sanskrit bhāṣya) on the sutras were added, to clarify and explain them ...