sambandha

Sambandha is a Sanskrit term meaning relation, connection, or bond. In scholarly usage it denotes the idea of how things are related to one another, and the word appears across various Indian philosophical, linguistic, and devotional traditions with context-dependent senses.

In Indian philosophy and linguistics, sambandha refers to the way terms relate to objects, meanings, or other terms. It is used to analyze how words signify things (the link between sound and sense), how linguistic units connect within sentences, and how causes and effects or other conceptual categories are interrelated. Different schools describe different kinds of sambandha, including semantic, causal, or relational connections, as part of broader investigations into knowledge, language, and reality.

In Vedanta and the Bhakti traditions, the term appears in a more specific doctrinal framework known as sambandha-tatva. In Gaudiya Vaishnavism, for example, sambandha-tatva outlines the relationship among the living entity (jiva), the material energy (maya), and Krishna, explaining how bondage, devotion, and spiritual progress arise from these connections. This triadic framework is often presented together with abhidheya-tatva (practice or means) and prayojana-tatva (goal or end) as a compact synopsis of the devotional path.

Across traditions, sambandha is thus a versatile concept: it describes relational structure in logic and language, and it can signify the ontological or devotional relationships that shape knowledge, practice, and experience. While its precise meaning shifts with context, the central idea remains the examination of how entities are linked to one another.