Śarīra
/ʃəˈriː.rə/noun
A body or bodily form, especially a physical body or Buddhist relic associated with a deceased holy person.
Did you know?In Buddhist traditions, śarīra commonly refers to relics—sometimes described as pearl-like or crystalline remains—found among cremated ashes of revered practitioners.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
śarīra
“Body, bodily frame, physical form”
Early Buddhist Sanskrit
Sanskrit
śarīra
“The body or bodily remains of a person; sacred bodily relics in religious contexts”
Middle Indo-Aryan
Pali/Prakrit
sarīra
“Body; bodily remains”
Medieval Indo-Aryan
Hindi and related languages
śarīr / sarīr
“Body or physical form”
Modern English
English
sharira / śarīra
“A Buddhist relic or, in scholarly and Indic contexts, a body or bodily form”