SUTRA

‖Su″tra (?), n.; pl. Sutras (#). [[Skr. s�tra a thread, a string of rules; an aphorism; fr. siv to sew.]] 1. 1. (a) A precept; an aphorism; a brief rule. (b) A collection of such aphorisms.
2. 2. pl. A body of Hindoo literature containing aphorisms on grammar, meter, law, and philosophy, and forming a connecting link between the Vedic and later Sanscrit literature. Balfour (Cyc. of India).