Sri
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Shri (Devanagari: श्री, IAST; Śrī), also transliterated as Sree, Shri, Sri, Shree, Si or Seri is a word of Sanskrit origin, used in the Indian subcontinent as a polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." or "Ms." in written and spoken language, or as a title of veneration for deities (usually translated as "Holy").
It is also widely used in other South and Southeast Asian languages.
Contents
Etymology
Shri has the root meaning of goddess of prosperity.[1][2]
In Sanskrit grammar, Shri has the feminine gender. It is gender-specific in Sanskrit, but the assumption that it is masculine has resulted in the titles of Shrimati (abbreviated Smt) for married women and Sushri for women (independent of marital status).
Usage
Shri (also Sree, Sri, Shree, श्री) is a polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." or "Ms."[3] The title is derived from Sanskrit श्रीमान् (śrīmān). This use may stem from the Puranic conception of prosperity.
Śhrī 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, Śhrī if used by itself and not followed by any name then it 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 as the supreme goddess, while "Sri" or "Shri" is used to address humans.
Śhrī is one of the names of Ganesha, the Hindu god of prosperity.
Repetition
Shri may be repeated depending on the status of the person.
- Sri : for anybody
- Sri 2: Ravi Shankar
- Sri 3: Title used by former Rana PMs of Nepal.
- Sri 5: Title used by fromer King of Nepal ( e.g. Shri pānch ko sarkaar (His Majesty's Government).
- Sri 108: Used by spiritual leaders.
- Sri 1008: Used by spritual leaders (eg: Sri 1008 Satyatma Tirtha)
Other current usage
Shri, along with the forms Shrimati (for married women, equivalent to English Mrs.) and Sushri, is often used by Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains as a respectful affix to the names of celebrated or revered persons.
There is a common practice of writing Śhrī as the first word centralised in line at the beginning of a document.
On Vidyāraṃbhaṃ ceremony, the mantra "Om hari sri ganapataye namah" is written on sand or in a tray of rice grains by the child, under the supervision of 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 Sri, Desai Shri, and Thakur Sri 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
Its usage is common as a raga name, either as a prefix or postfix. Some examples are Shree, Bageshree, Dhanashree, Malashree, Jayantashree, Rageshree, and Shree ranjani.
Other languages
South and Southeast Asia
Śri is used in most languages of the Indian subcontinent and Seri is used in most of the languages of southeast Asia:
| Language/Script | Śrī written as | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Assamese | শ্রী | |
| Bengali | শ্রী | |
| Devanagari | श्री | |
| Indonesian | Sri | Often used as a title of veneration, however "Sri" also the name of ancient Java rice goddess Dewi Sri and also for royal usage such as "Sri Bhaginda", etc. |
| Javanese | ꦱꦿꦶ (Sri, conjunct form may not be shown properly) | Javanese language treats it as a common part of names in, for example, the name of former Indonesian finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. |
| Kannada | ಶ್ರೀ | |
| Malay | سري (Seri) | |
| Malayalam | ശ്രീ | |
| Myanmar | သီရိ (thiri) | See Tamil below. |
| Odia | ଶ୍ରୀ | |
| Punjabi | ਸ਼੍ਰੀ | |
| Sinhala | ශ්රී (Sri or "Shree") or සිරි (Siri) | Meaning "resplendent", as in Sri Lanka, "Resplendent Island". |
| Tamil | ஸ்ரீ (Shre or Shree) | Its Tamil equivalent (Thiru) is also used. |
| Telugu | శ్రీ | |
| Thai | ศิริ (Siri) and ศรี (Sri or Si) | Thai place names below. |
| Visayan | Si, Seri |
Place names
The honorific is incorporated into many place names. A partial list:
- 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 in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu border.
- Shri Khetra Name of the Puri Jagannath Dham, Odisha. one of the four Dham in 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 south tip of India.
- Sri Perumbudur, a town in the State of Tamil Nadu
- Sri Rangam, an island zone in the city of Tiruchirapalli, in South India.
- Sri Nagar where nagar means a city is the capital of the northernmost state of Jammu and Kashmir
- Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte the administrative capital of Sri Lanka.
- Srivijaya, a former kingdom centered on Sumatra, Indonesia.
- Sri (Thai: ศรี), pronounced and usually transliterated Si in Thailand place names:
- Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (พระนครศรีอยุธยา), formal name of 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
