Shastra

Shastra (Sanskrit: शास्त्र, romanized: Śāstra pronounced [ɕaːstrɐ]) is a Sanskrit word that means "precept, rules, manual, compendium, book or treatise" in a general sense.^[1] The word is generally used as a suffix in the Indian literature context, for technical or specialized knowledge in a defined area of practice.^[2]

Shastra has a similar meaning to English -logy, e.g. ecology, psychology, meaning scientific and basic knowledge on a particular subject. Examples in terms of modern neologisms include

bhautikaśāstra 'physics',
rasaśāstra 'chemistry',
jīvaśāstra 'biology',
vāstuśāstra 'architectural science',
śilpaśāstra 'science of mechanical arts and sculpture',
arthaśāstra 'science of politics and economics',^[3] and
nītiśāstra 'compendium of ethics or right policy'.

In Western literature, Shastra is sometimes spelled as Sastra,^[4] reflecting a misunderstanding of the IAST symbol 'ś', which corresponds to the English 'sh'.

^ Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on zAstra
^ Cite error: The named reference lochtefeldshastra626 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Boesche, Roger (January 2003). "Kautilya's Arthaśāstra on War and Diplomacy in Ancient India". The Journal of Military History. 67 (1). Society for Military History: 9–37. doi:10.1353/jmh.2003.0006. ISSN 0899-3718.
^ JDM Derrett (1973), Geschichte, Volume 1, Series Editor: Jan Gonda, Brill, ISBN 978-9004037403, pages 34–36

[monierwilliamszastra-1] Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on zAstra

[lochtefeldshastra626-2] Cite error: The named reference lochtefeldshastra626 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Boesche2003-3] Boesche, Roger (January 2003). "Kautilya's Arthaśāstra on War and Diplomacy in Ancient India". The Journal of Military History. 67 (1). Society for Military History: 9–37. doi:10.1353/jmh.2003.0006. ISSN 0899-3718.

[4] JDM Derrett (1973), Geschichte, Volume 1, Series Editor: Jan Gonda, Brill, ISBN 978-9004037403, pages 34–36

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