Shramanic
/ʃrəˈmɑːnɪk/noun
Relating to the śramaṇa traditions of ancient India, including Buddhism, Jainism, and related renunciant movements.
Did you know?Shramanic movements challenged the religious authority of Vedic sacrifice by emphasizing personal discipline, renunciation, meditation, and liberation from rebirth.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-Aryan period
Proto-Indo-Aryan
*śramaṇa-
“A striver or religious practitioner, from a root associated with exertion and toil”
Ancient Sanskrit
Sanskrit
śramaṇa
“A wandering ascetic or religious seeker who undertakes rigorous spiritual practice”
Ancient India
Sanskrit
śram-
“To exert oneself, labor, or undergo hardship”
3rd Century BCE onward
Pali and Prakrit
samaṇa / samaṇa
“A renunciant or ascetic; the common Middle Indo-Aryan form of śramaṇa”
19th–20th Century
English
shramanic
“Relating to śramaṇa-based renunciant traditions, especially Buddhism and Jainism”
Modern English
English
Shramanic
“Used in academic and religious studies for India's non-Vedic ascetic traditions”