Shramana
/ˈʃrɑː.mə.nə/noun
A wandering ascetic or religious seeker, especially one belonging to ancient Indian non-Vedic traditions such as Buddhism or Jainism.
Did you know?The Shramana movement produced major Indian religions and philosophies—including Buddhism and Jainism—as alternatives to the authority of Vedic ritual specialists.
Etymological Timeline
Vedic Sanskrit, c. 5th–3rd Century BCE
Sanskrit
śramaṇa
“A religious ascetic or wandering seeker; literally, one who exerts or disciplines themselves”
Early Buddhist and Jain Period, c. 3rd Century BCE
Pali and Prakrit
samaṇa / samaṇaṇa
“An ascetic or renunciant, especially a Buddhist or Jain religious practitioner”
Han Dynasty, c. 2nd Century BCE onward
Chinese
沙門, shāmén
“A transliteration of śramaṇa, used for Buddhist monks and ascetics”
19th Century
English
shramana
“A learned borrowing referring to an Indian ascetic or member of a non-Vedic renunciant tradition”
Modern English
English
shramana
“A historical or religious term for a wandering ascetic and spiritual seeker”