Shri

Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific.

The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Assamese, Meitei ( Manipuri), Marathi, Malay (including Indonesian and Malaysian), Javanese, Balinese, Sundanese, Sinhalese, Thai, Tamil, Telugu, Odia, Assamese, Punjabi, Hindi, Bengali, Nepali, Malayalam, Kannada, Sanskrit, Pali, Khmer, and also among Philippine languages. It is usually transliterated as ''Sri'', ''Sree'', ''Shri'', ''Shiri'', ''Shree'', ''Si'', or ''Seri'' based on the local convention for transliteration. In Tamil it evolved to Tiru.

The term is used in Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia as a polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." in written and spoken language.

"Shri" is also used as a title of veneration for deities or as honorific title for individuals.

"Shri" is also an epithet for Hindu goddess Lakshmi, while a '' yantra'' or a mystical diagram popularly used to worship her is called Shri Yantra.

Etymology

Monier-Williams's dictionary gives the meaning of the root verb 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".

The word 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 address '' Shrimati'' (abbreviated Smt) for married women, while ''Sushri'', (with "su", "good", added to the beginning), can be used for women in general ( regardless of marital status).

Spelling and pronunciation

In Devanagari script for Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi and other languages, the word is a combination of three sounds: (), () and (, long ''i''). There are two conventions in India to transliterate the consonant (ISO: ) to English: some use ''s'' (which in narrower transcription represents only ) as in ''Sri Lanka'' and ''Srinagar'', while others use ''sh'' as in '' Shimla'' and '' Shimoga''. Similarly, (; ) is also transliterated to English in two different ways as ''ri'' and ''ree'', although the latter is non-standard in Hindi. Hence this word may be rendered in English as Shri (the standard spelling), Shree, Sri or Sree; Some other transliterations used are Shri, Shiri, Shrii.

Sanskrit is written in many other Indian scripts as well, each of which has its own equivalents of these Devanāgari characters;

Usage

''Shri'' is a polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." or "Ms.".

''Shri'' is also frequently used as an epithet of some Hindu gods, in which case it is often translated into English as ''Holy''. 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.

''Shri'', also rendered ''Sridevi'', is an epithet of Lakshmi. The Vedas 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 Vedic ''Shri'' is believed to have identified with later conceptions of Lakshmi, as the embodiment of royalty and dignity.

Other current usage

There is a common practice of writing ''Shri'' 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'', or ''shri shri shri'', etc.) in princely styles, notably in Darbar Shri, Desai Shri, and Thakur Shri or Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, the founder of the social and spiritual movement Ananda Marga (the Path of Bliss).

The honorific can also be applied to objects and concepts that are widely respected, such as the Sikh religious text, the Shri Guru Granth Sahib. Similarly, when the Ramlila tradition of reenacting the Ramayana 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.

Indian music

The use of the term is common in the names of ragas (musical motifs), either as a prefix or postfix. Some examples are Shree, Bhagyashree, Dhanashree, Jayashree, Subhashree, Itishree, Jiteshree, and Shree ranjani.

Other languages

South and Southeast Asia

Place names

The honorific is incorporated into many place names. A partial list follows:
* Sriharikota, India
* Srimangal, Bangladesh
* Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh, a Siva temple, also one of the holiest places of worship for Hindus.
* Srikakulam, a town in northern Andhra Pradesh.
* Sri City, an integrated township located on the Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu border.
* Shri Kshetra, name of the Puri Jagannath Dham, Odisha. One of the four Dhams in the Hindu religion.
* Sree Mandira is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath (Krishna) and located in the coastal town of Puri in Odisha.
* Sri Lanka, an island country at the southern tip of India.
* Sri Perumbudur, a town in the state of Tamil Nadu
* Sri Rangam, an island zone in the city of Tiruchirapalli, in Tamil Nadu.
* Srinagar, ''nagar'' meaning "city", is the capital of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir
* Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the administrative capital of Sri Lanka.
* Sri Maha Bodhi, a sacred fig tree in the Mahamewna Gardens, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
* Srivijaya, a former kingdom centered on Sumatra, Indonesia.
* Siak ''Sri'' Indrapura, the capital seat of Siak Regency. It was the place of the Sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura.
* Sri (), pronounced and usually transliterated ''Si'' in Thailand place names:
:''Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya'' (), formal name of the city and province of Ayutthaya
: Nakhon ''Si'' Thammarat () city and province
:Sisaket () city and province
: ''Si'' Racha (), the namesake town of Siracha hot sauce
* Wat ''Si'' Saket in Vientiane, Laos.
* Bandar ''Seri'' Begawan, the capital of Brunei.
* Seri Menanti, the royal town of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
* Banteay Srei, a 10th-century Hindu temple in Angkor, Cambodia
* Srey Santhor, a district located in Kampong Cham, Cambodia.
* Serei Saophoan, the capital city of Banteay Meanchey, Cambodia.

Africa

References

{{Notelist

Titles in India
Honorifics
Prefixes
Lakshmi