Shri

Shri in Devanagari script used for Sanskrit

Shri (/ʃriː/;^[1] Devanagari: श्री, ISO: Śrī, Sanskrit pronunciation: [ɕriː], Non-Sanskrit pronunciation: [ʃɾiː]), also transliterated as Shree, Sri, or Sree, is an Indian word denoting wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific.^[1]

In Devanagari script for Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi and other languages, the word ⟨श्री⟩ is combination of three sounds: श् (ś), र् (r) and ई (ī, long i). There are two conventions in India to transliterate the syllable श (ISO: śa) (i.e., श् (ś) with the inherent vowel अ (a); श् (ś) + अ (a)) to English. Some use the convention of sa, although incorrect, for transcribing श as in Sri Lanka and Srinagar, while others use the convention of sha for transcribing श as in Shimla and Shimoga.^[2] Similarly, री (rī; र् + ई) is also transliterated to English in two different ways as ri and ree, although the latter is non-standard.^[2][3] Hence, in English, the spelling of this word श्री varies from Shri (the standard spelling) to Shree through Sri and Sree. Whatever be the transliteration, the pronunciation is the same. Sanskrit is written in many Indian scripts as well, in which case there are corresponding letters which have the exact same values as the Devanagari, so the Sanskrit pronunciation remains the same regardless of script.

The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Indonesian Javanese, Balinese, Sinhala, Thai, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada and Malay. It is transliterated as Sri, Sree, Shri, Si, or Seri based on the local convention for transliteration.

Hindus use a popular "yantra", or mystical diagram, called Shri Yantra, to worship the goddess of wealth. The term is also used in Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia as a polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." or "Ms." in written and spoken language, but also as a title of veneration for deities; for example, the Hindu goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, is also known as Sree.

Etymology

Monier-Williams Dictionary gives the meaning of the root verb śrī 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".^[4][5]

The word śrī 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).

Usage

Shri is also the avatar of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth.

Shri is a polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." or "Ms.".^[6]

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 Devi (or in short Shri, another name of Lakshmi, consort of Vishnu) is the devi (goddess) of wealth according to Hindu beliefs. Among today's orthodox Vaishnavas, the English word "Shree" is a revered syllable and is used to refer to Lakshmi, while "Sri" or "Shri" is used to address humans.

Shri is one of the names of Ganesha, the Hindu god of prosperity.

Shri is also used as a title of the Hindu deities Rama, Krishna, Saraswati and sometimes Durga.

Repetition

Shri may be repeated depending on the status of the person.

• Shri: for anybody
• Shri 2: honorific, guru, e.g. Ravi Shankar
• Shri 3: title used by former Maharaja of Lamjung and Kaski and PMs of Nepal (e.g. Shrī Tīn Jung Bahadur Kunwar Ranaji)
• Shri 5: title used by former King of Nepal (e.g. Shri pānch ko sarkār (His Majesty's Government)
• Shri 108: used by spiritual leaders
• Shri 1008: used by spiritual leaders (e.g. Shri 1008 Satyatma Tirtha)

Other current usage

There is a common practice of writing Shri as the first word centralised in line at the beginning of a document.

During the Vidyāraṃbhaṃ ceremony, the mantra "Om hari shri ganapataye namah" is written in sand or in a tray of rice grains by a child, under the supervision of a Guru or Priest.

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.

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, Bageshree, Dhanashree, Malashree, Jayantashree, Rageshree, and Shree ranjani.

Other languages

South and Southeast Asia

Place names

The honorific is incorporated into many place names. A partial list follows:

• 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 (Odia: ଶ୍ରୀମନ୍ଦିର) 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.
• Sri Nagar, nagar meaning "city", is the capital of the northernmost Indian state 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.
• Sriwijaya University, located in South Sumatra, Indonesia
• Sri (ศรี), pronounced and usually transliterated Si in Thailand place names:

Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (พระนครศรีอยุธยา), formal name of the city and province of Ayutthaya

Nakhon Si Thammarat (นครศรีธรรมราช) city and province

Sisaket (ศรีสะเกษ) city and province

• Wat Si Saket in Vientiane, Laos.
• Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei.
• Seri Menanti, the royal town of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

See also

• Indian honorifics
• Thai honorifics
• Thai royal and noble titles
• Malay styles and titles
• Filipino styles and honorifics
• Indonesian honorifics
• Sinhala honorifics
• Greater India

References

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