su·tra

/ˈso͞otrə/

From the Sanskrit word siv, that which sews and holds things together. The word is related to sūci, meaning “needle, list,” and sūnā meaning “woven.” String. Related to suture: a strand or fiber used to sew parts of the living body; a uniting of parts. The seam or seamlike line along which two things or parts are sewed or united; the line of union in an immovable articulation. Also: such an articulation. 

In Hinduism, sutras are a distinct type of literary composition, a compilation of short aphoristic statements.