Shri (/ʃriː/;[1]Sanskrit:श्री,romanized: Śrī,pronounced[ɕriː]) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as anhonorific.[1]
The word is widely used inSouth andSoutheast Asian languages such asAssamese,Meitei (Manipuri),Marathi,Malay (includingIndonesian andMalaysian),Javanese,Balinese,Sundanese,Sinhala,Thai,Tamil,Telugu,Odia,Assamese,Punjabi,Hindi,Bengali,Nepali,Malayalam,Kannada,Sanskrit,Pali,Khmer, and also amongPhilippine languages. It is usually transliterated asSri,Sree,Shri,Shiri,Shree,Si, orSeri based on the local convention for transliteration. In Tamil it evolved toTiru.
The term is used inIndian subcontinent andSoutheast Asia as a polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." in written and spoken language.
"Shri" is also used as a title ofveneration for deities or as honorific title for individuals.
Shri is also an epithet for Hindu goddess -Lakshmi while ayantra or a mystical diagram is popularly used to worship her is calledShri Yantra.
Monier-Williams Dictionary gives the meaning of the root verbśrī as "to cook, boil, to burn, diffuse light", but as a feminine abstract noun, it has received a general meaning of "grace, splendour, beauty; wealth, affluence, prosperity".[3][4]
The wordśrī may also be used as an adjective in Sanskrit, which is the origin of the modern use of shri as a title. From the noun, is derived the Sanskrit adjective "śrīmat" (śrimān in the masculine nominative singular, śrīmatī in the feminine), by adding the suffix indicating possession, literally "radiance-having" (person, god, etc.). This is used in modern vernacular as form of addressShrimati (abbreviated Smt) for married women, whileSushri, (with "su", "good", added to the beginning), can be used for women in general (regardless of marital status).
In Devanagari script for Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi and other languages, the word⟨श्री⟩ is combination of three sounds:श् (ś),र् (r) andई (ī, longi). There are two conventions in India to transliterate the consonantश् (ISO:ś) to English: some uses (which in narrower transcription represents onlyस्) as inSri Lanka andSrinagar, while others usesh as inShimla andShimoga.[5] Similarly,री (rī;र् + ई) is also transliterated to English in two different ways asri andree, although the latter is non-standard in Hindi.[5][6] Hence this wordश्री may be rendered in English as Shri (the standard spelling), Shree, Sri or Sree; Some other transliterations used are Shri, Shiri, Shrii. Whatever the transliteration may be, its pronunciation remains the same.
Sanskrit is written in many other Indian scripts as well, each of which has its own equivalents of these Devanāgari letters; the Sanskrit pronunciation remains the same regardless of script.
Shri is apolite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." or "Ms.".[7]
Shri is also frequently used as anepithet of some Hindugods, in which case it is often translated into English asHoly. Also, in language and general usage,Shri, if used by itself and not followed by any name, refers to the supreme consciousness, i.e. god.[citation needed]
Shri, also renderedSridevi, is an epithet ofLakshmi.[8][9] TheVedas speak of Shri as a goddess, who personified ten qualities coveted by other divine beings: food, royalty, holiness, kingdom, fortune, sovereignty, nobility, power, righteousness, and beauty. The VedicShri is believed to have identified with later conceptions of Lakshmi, as the embodiment of royalty and dignity.[10]
There is a common practice of writingShri as the first word centralised in line at the beginning of a document.
Another usage is as an emphatic compound (which can be used several times:shri shri, orshri shri shri, etc.) in princely styles, notably inDarbar Shri,Desai Shri, andThakur Shri orShrii Shrii Anandamurti, the founder of the social and spiritual movementAnanda Marga (the Path of Bliss).
The honorific can also be applied to objects and concepts that are widely respected, such as theSikh religious text, theShri Guru Granth Sahib. Similarly, when theRamlila tradition of reenacting theRamayana is referred to as an institution, the term Shri Ramlila is frequently used.
A common Sikh greeting is “Sat Shri Akaal (Gurmukhi: ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ)”, meaning “Truth is divine and eternal”. Shri here is used to denote divinity or godliness.
The use of the term is common in the names ofragas (musical motifs), either as a prefix or postfix. Some examples areShree, Bhagyashree, Dhanashree, Jayashree, Subhashree, Itishree, Jiteshree, andShree ranjani.
| Language/Script | Form | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bengali–Assamese script | শ্রী | |
| Balinese | jaimin | Comparable to the Javanese usage: a particle prefixed to royal names, the goddess of rice-culture. |
| Burmese | သီရိ (thiri) | SeeTamil below. |
| Dhivehi | ސިރީ (siree or sirī) | Used in the full titles of sultans and kings |
| Gujarati | શ્રી | |
| Gurmukhi (Punjabi) | ਸ਼੍ਰੀ | |
| Javanese | ꦱꦿꦶ (Sri) alternatively written asꦯꦿꦶ orꦯꦿꦷ | Often used to address royal or venerated figures, such as the King ofYogyakarta,Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono and the title "Sri Bhaginda" (equivalent to "your majesty"), and for names of deities, such as the Javanese rice goddessDewi Sri. In modernJavanese, it is a common part of proper names ofJavanese people, e.g the name of Indonesian finance ministerSri Mulyani Indrawati andIndonesian marine corps officer Lt. ColSri Utomo. "Sri" is also a widely used name inJava used for names of placements, organizations, institutions, etc |
| Kannada | ಶ್ರೀ (Sri orSree) | |
| Khmer | ស្រី (Srey) andសេរី (Serey) | |
| Lao | ສີ (Si) andສຣີ (Sri orSree) | |
| Malay (includingMalaysian andIndonesian varieties) | Jawi:سري,Latin:Seri (Malaysian) Sri (Indonesian) | Often used as a title of veneration forhonorific titles inMalay kingdoms and sultanates. This includes the honorific title for theSultan of Brunei:Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia PadukaSeri Baginda SultanHassanal Bolkiah andKing of Malaysia:Kebawah Duli Yang Maha MuliaSeri Paduka Baginda. It is also used for the name of places in the Malay world such asBandar Seri Begawan inBrunei andSiak Sri Indrapura city inSumatra,Indonesia Usage of "Sri" inIndonesia is used for honorary titles for a king or other great person, for example the King ofYogyakartaSri Sultan Hamengkubuwono andSri Baginda which means "Your Majesty", and is also used for people's names, mainlyJavanese people such as Indonesian finance ministerSri Mulyani,Indonesian marine officer Lt. ColSri Utomo,Indian-Indonesian businessmanSri Prakash Lohia, etc. It also refers to the Javanese rice goddess "Dewi Sri". "Sri" is also used as names of companies, placements, institutions, etc (e.g —Sriwijaya Air,Sriwijaya University, etc). |
| Malayalam | ശ്രീ (Sri orSree) | |
| Meitei (Manipuri) | ꯁ꯭ꯔꯤ (transliterated as"shri/shree/sri/sree" inMeitei script) | Used as honorific as inShri Biren andShri Shri Govindaji Temple |
| Nepal Bhasa (Newari) | 𑐱𑑂𑐬𑐷 (Sri) | |
| Odia | ଶ୍ରୀ | |
| Philippine languages /Baybayin | ᜐ᜔ᜇᜒ (Sri or Si or Sree) | Formerly used as an honorific title for rulers inold Indianized precolonial states and polities in thePhilippines, such asSri Lumay ofCebu or Sri Bata Shaja ofButuan or Sripada/Sipad ofLupah Sūg or Sikatuna ofBo-ol. |
| Sinhala | ශ්රී (Sri orSree) also ශ්රී (Sri orSree) or සිරි (Siri) | Meaning "resplendent", as inSri Lanka, "Resplendent Island". |
| Tamil | ஸ்ரீ (Sri orSree) | The Tamil equivalenttiru is also used. |
| Telugu | శ్రీ (Sri orSree) | |
| Thai | ศิริ (Siri) andศรี (Sri orSree orSi) | Used in many Thai place names, as seen below. |
| Vietnamese/Cham | Chế | Vietnamese transcription of honorific name prefix used among the Cham ethnic minority. |
The honorific is incorporated into manyplace names. A partial list follows:
| Language/Script | Form | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Anlo-Ewe | Sri in Anlo-Ewe state is a revered name of the first king of Anlo State Torgbui Sri I and later succeeded by Torgbui Sri II |
śhrīˊ 12708śhrīˊ feminine ' light, beauty ' R̥gveda, ' welfare, riches ' Avestan (Iranian) Pali Prakritsirī – feminine, Prakritsī – feminine ' prosperity '; Marāṭhī –s honorific affix to names of relationship (e.g. āj̈ā –s, ājī –s) Jules BlochLa Formation de la Langue Marathe Paris 1920, page 412. – Sinhalesesiri ' health, happiness ' (Wilhelm GeigerAn Etymological Glossary of the Sinhalese Language Colombo 1941, page 180) a loanword from Pali <-> See addendum śrḗyas –, śrḗṣṭha – . See Addenda: śrīˊ – occurring for the first time in Addenda : śrīparṇī – .
1 Wealth, riches, affluence, prosperity, plenty; ... -2 Royalty, majesty, royal wealth;... -3 Dignity, high position, state;... -4 Beauty, grace, splendour, lustre;... -5 Colour, aspect; ... -6 The goddess of wealth, Lak-ṣmī, the wife of Viṣṇu;... -7 Any virtue or excellence. -8 Decoration. -9 Intellect, understanding. -1 Super- human power. -11 The three objects of human existence taken collectively (धर्म, अर्थ and काम). -12 The Sarala tree. -13 The Bilva tree. -14 Cloves. -15 A lotus. -16 The twelfth digit of the moon. -17 N. of Sarasvatī, (the goddess of speech). -18 Speech. -19 Fame, glory. -2 The three Vedas (वेदत्रयी);... -m. N. of one of the six Rāgas or musical modes. -a. Splendid, radiant, adorning. (The word श्री is often used as an honorific prefix to the names of deities and eminent persons; श्रीकृष्णः, श्रीरामः, श्रिवाल्मीकिः, श्रीजयदेवः; also celebrated works, generally of a sacred character; श्रीभागवत, श्रीरामायण)&c.; it is also used as an auspicious sign at the commencement of letters, manuscripts &c
... ISO 15919 ... There is no evidence of the use of the system either in India or in international cartographic products ... The Hunterian system is the actually used national system of romanization in India ...
