Shastra
Encyclopedia
is a Sanskrit term used to denote rules in a general sense. The word is generally used as a suffix in the context of technical or specialized knowledge in a defined area of practice; e.g., Bhautika Shastra (physics), Rasayana Shastra (Chemistry), Jeeva Shastra (Biology), Vastu Shastra
(architectural science), Shilpa Shastra (science of sculpture), Artha Shastra ( Economics), and Neeti Shastra (political science). In essence, the shaastra is the knowledge which is based on principles that are held to be timeless.
Shastra is also a by-word used when referring to a scripture. Extending this meaning, the shastra is commonly used to mean a treatise or text written in explanation of some idea, especially in matters involving religion. In Buddhism
, a shastra is often a commentary written at a later date to explain an earlier scripture or sutra
.
Dr. Yutang Lin says that a text written by him and not given by Buddha, cannot be called a "Sutra"; it is called a "Sastra". In Buddhism, Buddhists are allowed to offer their theses as long as they are consistent with the Sutras, and those are called "Sastras."
Dharma Shastra, and c. 300 CE, when it is likely that Vatsyayana Mallanaga composed the Kama Sutra. The literature of this period is considered of greater interest than much of what was composed during the times of the empires that framed it, the Mauryas and the Guptas. At the time when the shastras were composed, Sanskrit remained the 'language of the gods', although it had also become a vehicle for literary and political expression.
The shastras are both descriptive and prescriptive. They represent an attempt by their Brahmin composers to strengthen discipline in social, political, personal and other spheres. Some elements, such as the origins of castes as related in Manu, were largely innovations designed to meet new social conditions. Manu shares with much of the shastra literature an emphasis on the need for controlling human behaviour, especially in relation to gambling, drinking, fornicating and hunting. Manu's text, for example, amounts to a programme for controlling the senses, considered essential for those seeking moksa, and advisable for others.
The shastras contain opposing views and contradictory prescriptions. This is in part because they represent an ideal of human behaviour, while at the same time recognising the need to account for likely failings. The shastras do not present life as it was lived. Rather they reveal an idea of what life should be, seen from a Brahmin perspective. The shastra texts constitute one of the great bodies of literature of the ancient world.
Vastu Shastra
Vastu Shastra is an ancient doctrine which consists of precepts born out of a traditional and archaic view on how the laws of nature affect human dwellings. The designs are based on directional alignments...
(architectural science), Shilpa Shastra (science of sculpture), Artha Shastra ( Economics), and Neeti Shastra (political science). In essence, the shaastra is the knowledge which is based on principles that are held to be timeless.
Shastra is also a by-word used when referring to a scripture. Extending this meaning, the shastra is commonly used to mean a treatise or text written in explanation of some idea, especially in matters involving religion. In Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, a shastra is often a commentary written at a later date to explain an earlier scripture or sutra
Sutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
.
Dr. Yutang Lin says that a text written by him and not given by Buddha, cannot be called a "Sutra"; it is called a "Sastra". In Buddhism, Buddhists are allowed to offer their theses as long as they are consistent with the Sutras, and those are called "Sastras."
Main period of composition
The main period for the composition of the shastras was between c.100 CE, the approximate date of the ManuManu
-Geography:*Manú Province, a province of Peru, in the Madre de Dios Region*Manú National Park, Peru*Manú River, in southeastern Peru*Manu River, Tripura, which originates in India and flows into Bangladesh...
Dharma Shastra, and c. 300 CE, when it is likely that Vatsyayana Mallanaga composed the Kama Sutra. The literature of this period is considered of greater interest than much of what was composed during the times of the empires that framed it, the Mauryas and the Guptas. At the time when the shastras were composed, Sanskrit remained the 'language of the gods', although it had also become a vehicle for literary and political expression.
The shastras are both descriptive and prescriptive. They represent an attempt by their Brahmin composers to strengthen discipline in social, political, personal and other spheres. Some elements, such as the origins of castes as related in Manu, were largely innovations designed to meet new social conditions. Manu shares with much of the shastra literature an emphasis on the need for controlling human behaviour, especially in relation to gambling, drinking, fornicating and hunting. Manu's text, for example, amounts to a programme for controlling the senses, considered essential for those seeking moksa, and advisable for others.
The shastras contain opposing views and contradictory prescriptions. This is in part because they represent an ideal of human behaviour, while at the same time recognising the need to account for likely failings. The shastras do not present life as it was lived. Rather they reveal an idea of what life should be, seen from a Brahmin perspective. The shastra texts constitute one of the great bodies of literature of the ancient world.