Sharira, Shareera and System Biology
Table of Contents
Here’s the explanation of the difference between “Sharira” and “Shareera” in English, from grammatical, Ayurveda and philosophical perspectives:
Grammatical Difference
Sharira (शरीर)
It is a noun.
Derived from the Sanskrit root √śri (क्षरणे) meaning to decay or disintegrate.
So literally,
“Kṣarati iti Sharīram” – That which is continuously decaying is called Sharīra.
Thus, Sharīra means the body itself, the physical, perishable structure.
Examples:
Manava Sharira – the human body
Sharīram dharmasādhanam – the body is the instrument for dharma (righteous action)
Shareera (शारीर)
It is an adjective.
Formed from Sharira by adding a derivative suffix (taddhita), meaning “pertaining to or related to the body.”
Examples:
Sharira Vigyana – the science related to the body (Anatomy/Physiology)
Sharira Dosha – bodily Dosha (Vata, Pitta, Kapha)
Sharira Dharma – the natural laws of the body
Ayurveda Usage Difference
Term Meaning Example
Sharira The body itself — physical, biological entity “Sharīram dharmasādhanam” (The body is the means to fulfill Dharma)
Shareeraa Related to the body — the field of knowledge or aspect concerning the body “Shareeraa Sthana” (The section of Charaka Samhita dealing with embryology and anatomy)
Example from Ayurveda
In Charaka Samhita, one section is called “Shareeraa Sthana”, which discusses embryology, anatomy, the relation of body–mind–soul, etc.
Here, Shārīra means “that which pertains to the body.”
Philosophical Perspective
Sharira → the physical embodiment, the visible, perishable form — the body.
Shareeraa → the embodied self or that which relates to the embodied existence, i.e., the being who resides in the body (Sharir Atman — the soul residing in the body).
Meaning of “Shareera”
Etymological and Philosophical Meaning
In Sanskrit, “Śarīra” (शरीर) comes from the root “śri” (क्षरणे) meaning to decay or disintegrate.
Thus, Śarīra literally means that which continuously degenerates or decays — yet is maintained by constant replenishment and repair.
“क्षरति इति शरीरम्” — that which undergoes continuous destruction (decay) is called Śarīra.
Hence, Shareeraa is not just the physical body, but a dynamic, ever-changing process — a living field of transformation.
Concept of Shareera in Ayurveda
In Ayurveda, Shareera is viewed as a composite of body, mind, and consciousness — an integrated, intelligent system governed by:
Dosha (functional principles) — Vata, Pitta, Kapha
Dhatu (structural tissues) — Rasa, Rakta, Mansa, Meda, Asthi, Majja and Shukra
Mala (metabolic wastes) — Purisha, Mutra and Sveda
Oja – Para Oja and Apara Oja
Agni (metabolic fire) — the regulator of all transformations. 1. Jatharagni 2. Dhatvagni ( 7 in Number) 3. Bhutagni ( 5 in Number. There are total 13 types of Agni in Human Body
Shrota (body channels) — the pathways for transport and communication
Satva – Mana (The Mind) – 1. Pravara Satva, Madhyam Sava, Abara Satva 2. Sattvik Satva, Rajasika Satva, Tamasika Satva
Aatma (consciousness) — the coordinating intelligence
Ayurveda therefore views the Shareera as a complex adaptive system, self-regulating and self-healing when in balance.
Significance of Shareera for System Biology
Systems Biology seeks to understand the human organism as an integrated network of interacting components – genes, proteins, metabolites and environmental influences – rather than isolated parts.
Here, the Ayurveda concept of Shareera offers an already-formed holistic systems model of life. Let’s see how:
Dynamic Equilibrium and Homeostasis
Ayurveda’s Tridosha theory describes dynamic balance – not fixed normality.
Similarly, Systems Biology studies homeostasis, feedback loops, and network resilience.
Ayurveda’s Dosha balance = Systems Biology’s steady-state equilibrium.
Multi-Level Organization
Shareera operates on multiple layers:
Physical (Annamaya)
Vital (Pranamaya)
Mental (Manomaya)
Intellectual (Vijnanamaya)
Blissful (Anandamaya)
These parallel the hierarchical levels in Systems Biology — molecular, cellular, organ, organismal, environmental.
Network Connectivity and Shrota
The Shrota system (body channels) in Ayurveda represents information and material flow networks, very similar to:
Metabolic pathways
Signal transduction networks
Circulatory and neural networks
This provides a qualitative precursor model of Systems Biology’s network maps.
Personalized Systems Approach
Ayurveda’s Prakriti (constitutional typing) anticipates personalized medicine.
Prakriti-based phenotyping aligns with genomic and metabolomics profiling, offering a biopsychosocial systems classification of human variation.
Non-Linear Interactions
Ayurveda emphasizes the interdependence of mind, body, environment, and consciousness — a non-linear model that modern Systems Biology is still formalizing mathematically (e.g., chaos theory, network entropy).
Why Shareera Holds Potential for Discoveries
Integrative Framework – It offers a whole-systems map where biology, behavior, and environment interact dynamically.
Predictive Power – Ayurveda’s centuries-old principles (e.g., Dosha dynamics) can inspire computational models for predicting systemic responses.
Bridging Subjective and Objective Data – Shareera includes psychophysiological dimensions that modern biology tends to separate.
New Biomarker Discovery – Prakriti-based systems mapping could guide the identification of multi-omics biomarkers of health and disease.
Resonance with Complexity Science – The Shareera model naturally aligns with complex adaptive systems theory, network medicine, and epigenetic modulation.
Summary
Conclusion
Sharira = The body itself (the tangible structure).
Shareera = That which is related to or concerns the body – a descriptive or relational term.
In short:
Sharira = The object (body)
Shareera = The relationship, study or attribute of the body.
Shareera represents the original systems model of life – dynamic, self-regulating, and conscious.
Exploring it through Systems Biology may yield transformative insights into integrative medicine, predictive health, and personalized therapeutic design – uniting ancient biological wisdom with modern scientific analytics.
