Śāstrās

Śāstra, “that which instructs”

A śāstra is an organised body of teaching on one subject. The word comes from the Sanskrit root śās, “to teach” or “to guide.” A śāstra sets out the rules and reasoning of its subject, so that a student can learn it step by step from a teacher.

Tradition names six śāstras that were studied alongside the Vedas, together called the Shaṭśāstra: Tarka (logic and debate), Vyākaraṇa (grammar), Dharma (right conduct), Mīmāṃsā (the interpretation of Vedic ritual), Vaidya (medicine) and Jyotisha (astronomy and the reckoning of time).

How a śāstra is taught

Most śāstras begin with a set of very short statements called sūtras. A sūtra is easy to memorise but hard to understand alone. So a teacher explains it in a commentary called a bhāshya, and later teachers add further notes. A student first learns the sūtras by heart, then studies their meaning with a teacher.

This method keeps the teaching stable. The sūtras stay the same from one generation to the next, while the commentaries answer the questions of each new age.

Other well-known śāstras

The word śāstra is also used for many other fields of learning. Dharmaśāstra deals with right conduct and law. Arthaśāstra deals with government and wealth. Nāṭyaśāstra deals with drama, dance and music. Each one treats its subject in the same orderly way.

The six śāstras should not be confused with the six darśanas, the schools of philosophy: Nyāya, Vaiśeshika, Sāṅkhya, Yoga, Mīmāṃsā and Vedānta.

On this website

The page below explains each of the six śāstras in turn. Vyākaraṇa also has its own section.