Shri (;[1], in Sanskrit pronounced as /ɕriː/) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific.[1]
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, Sinhala, 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 goddesses - Lakshmi while a yantra or a mystical diagram popularly used to worship her is called Shri Yantra.
Monier-Williams 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".[2] [3]
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).
In Devanagari script for Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi and other languages, the word is combination of three sounds: Sanskrit: श्, Sanskrit: र् and Sanskrit: ई (long i). There are two conventions in India to transliterate the consonant Sanskrit: श् (ISO:) to English: some use s (which in narrower transcription represents only Sanskrit: स्) as in Sri Lanka and Srinagar, while others use sh as in Shimla and Shimoga.[4] Similarly, Sanskrit: री (; Sanskrit: र् + ई) is also transliterated to English in two different ways as ri and ree, although the latter is non-standard in Hindi. Hence this word Sanskrit: श्री 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 a polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." or "Ms.".[5]
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.[6] [7] 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.[8]
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.
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.
| Language/Script | Form | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| শ্রী | |||
| Balinese: jaimin | Comparable to the Javanese usage: a particle prefixed to royal names, the goddess of rice-culture. | ||
| Burmese: သီရိ (thiri) | See Tamil below. | ||
| Dhivehi | ސިރީ (siree or sirī) | Used in the full titles of sultans and kings | |
| શ્રી | |||
| Gurmukhi (Punjabi) | ਸ਼੍ਰੀ | ||
| (Sri) alternatively written as or | Often used to address royal or venerated figures, such as the King of Yogyakarta, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono and the title "Sri Bhaginda" (equivalent to "your majesty"), and for names of deities, such as the Javanese rice goddess Dewi Sri. In modern Javanese, it is a common part of proper names of Javanese people, e.g the name of Indonesian finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Indonesian marine corps officer Lt. Col Sri Utomo. "Sri" is also a widely used name in Java used for names of placements, organizations, institutions, etc | ||
| Kannada: ಶ್ರೀ (Sri or Sree) | |||
| Central Khmer: ស្រី (Srey) and Central Khmer: សេរី (Serey) | |||
| Lao: ສີ (Si) and Lao: ສຣີ (Sri or Sree) | |||
| Malay (including Malaysian and Indonesian varieties) | Jawi Malay: سري, Latin: Seri (Malaysian) | Often used as a title of veneration for honorific titles in Malay kingdoms and sultanates. This includes the honorific title for the Sultan of Brunei: Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and King of Malaysia: Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda. It is also used for the name of places in the Malay world such as Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei and Siak Sri Indrapura city in Sumatra, Indonesia Usage of "Sri" in Indonesia is used for honorary titles for a king or other great person, for example the King of Yogyakarta Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono and Sri Baginda which means "Your Majesty", and is also used for people's names, mainly Javanese people such as Indonesian finance minister Sri Mulyani, Indonesian marine officer Lt. Col Sri Utomo, Indian-Indonesian businessman Sri 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). | |
| ശ്രീ (Sri or Sree) | |||
| Meitei (Manipuri) | Manipuri: {{Script|Mtei|ꯁ꯭ꯔꯤ (transliterated as "shri/shree/sri/sree" in Meitei script) | Used as honorific as in Shri Biren and Shri Shri Govindaji Temple | |
| Nepal Bhasa (Newari) | (Sri) | ||
| ଶ୍ରୀ | |||
| Philippine languages / Baybayin | ᜐ᜔ᜇᜒ (Sri or Si or Sree) | Formerly used as an honorific title for rulers in old Indianized pre-Hispanic states and polities in the Philippines, such as Sri Lumay of the Rajahnate of Cebu or Sri Bata Shaja of the Rajahnate of Butuan or Sri Pada/Sipad of Lupah Sūg or Sikatuna of Kedatuan of Dapitan. | |
| ශ්රී (Sri or Sree) also ශ්රී (Sri or Sree) or සිරි (Siri) | Meaning "resplendent", as in Sri Lanka, "Resplendent Island". | ||
| ஸ்ரீ (Sri or Sree) | The Tamil equivalent tiru is also used. | ||
| శ్రీ (Sri or Sree) | |||
| Thai: ศิริ (Siri) and Thai: ศรี (Sri or Sree or Si) | Used in many Thai place names, as seen below. | ||
| Chế | Vietnamese transcription of honorific name prefix used among the Cham ethnic minority. |
The honorific is incorporated into many place names. A partial list follows:
Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (Thai: พระนครศรีอยุธยา), formal name of the city and province of Ayutthaya
Nakhon Si Thammarat (Thai: นครศรีธรรมราช) city and province
Sisaket (Thai: ศรีสะเกษ|italic=unset) city and province
Si Racha (Thai: ศรีราชา), the namesake town of Siracha hot sauce[9]