Although there is some dispute over how the word "Sarvāstivāda" is to be analyzed, the general consensus is that it is to be parsed into three parts: sarva "all" or "every" + asti "exist" + vada "speak", "say" or "theory".
Meskipun ada beberapa perselisihan tentang bagaimana kata "Sarwastiwada" harus dianalisis, konsensus umum adalah bahwa kata itu harus diuraikan menjadi tiga bagian: sarva "semua" atau "setiap" + asti "ada" + vada "berbicara", "katakan" atau "teori".