Indian proverb: Heads of state usually take religion away (5)

I believe the answer is:

sutra

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'indian proverb' is the definition.
'sutra' can be an answer for 'proverb' (thesaurus). I'm unsure of the 'indian' bit.

'heads of state usually take religion away' is the wordplay.
'heads of' indicates taking the first letters.
The first letters of 'state usually take religion away' is 'SUTRA'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for sutra that I've seen before include "A Buddhist scripture" , "Ornamental arm band" , "Collection of Hindu or Buddhist sayings" , "Indian rule" , "Book of aphorisms" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.