Sutra

Sūtra

... 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 down in books of palm leaves ... In ancient Indian literature, sutra denotes a distinct type of literary composition, based on short aphoristic statements, generally using various technical terms ... commentaries (Sanskrit bhāṣya) on the sutras were added, to clarify and explain them ...