Sri Sri, (/ʃriː/;[1] Devanagari: ी, IAST: Śrī [ʃɹiː, ɕɹiː]) also transliterated as Sree, Shri, Shree, Si, or Seri, is a word of Sanskrit origin. Hindus use a popular "yantra", or mystical diagram, calledSri Yantra, to worship the goddess of wealth. The term is also used in South Asia 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, theHindu goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, is known as Sree. The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Indonesian, Javanese, Balinese, Sinhalese, Thai, Tamil, Hindi, and Malay. Contents Shree in Devanagari script used for Etymology Sanskrit Spelling and pronunciation Usage Repetition Sridevi Other current usage Indian music Other languages South and Southeast Asia Place names See also References Etymology Sri has a core meaning of "diffusing light or radiance or eminence", related to the root śrā "to cook, boil", but as a feminine abstract noun, it has received a general meaning of "grace, splendour, beauty; wealth, affluence, prosperity".[2][3] Derived forms of address areShrimati (abbreviated Smt) for married women andSushri for women (regardless of marital status). Spelling and pronunciation In Devanagari script for Sanskrit, Hindi, and other languages, the word ⟨ी⟩ is spelled with three conjoined letters: श (śa / sha) – र (ra) – ◌ी (ī, long i). These are distinct from स (sa) and ि◌ (short i). The IAST transliteration is śrī. A common intuitive transliteration is shrii. (Other forms include HunterianzrI .) Some other Indian languages do not distinguish /ʃ/ (sh in English) from /s/ in speech or for native words, but do retain a distinct spelling for loanwords. For example, Sinhalese and Tamil respectively have: (ශ, , śa) versus (ස, , sa). In these cases, the spelling generally reflects Sanskritśrī ("shri"), though the pronunciation may be "sri", "seri", or "si". Usage Sri is a polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." or "Ms.".[4] 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 as the supreme goddess, 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, Radha (used as Shrimati Radharani), and sometimesDur ga. Sri is also the avatar of Lakshmi, the Repetition Hindu goddess of wealth. Shri may be repeated depending on the status of the person. Sri: for anybody Sri 2: e.g. Ravi Shankar Sri 3: Title used by former Maharaja of Lamjung and Kaski and PMs of Nepal (e.g. Shrī Tīn Jung Bahadur Kunwar Ranaji) Sri 5: Title used by former King of Nepal (e.g. Shri pānch ko sarkār (His Majesty's Government) Sri 108: Used by spiritual leaders Sri 1008: Used by spiritual leaders (e.g.Sri 1008 Satyatma Tirtha) Sridevi Sridevi is a form of Lakshmi. She killed Demon Jambasura. 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 writingShri as the first word centralised in line at the beginning of a document. During the Vidyāraṃbhaṃ ceremony, the mantra "Om hari sri ganapataye namah" is written in sand or in a tray of rice grains by a child, under the supervision of aGuru 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 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, andShree ranjani. Other languages South and Southeast Asia Sri written Language/Script Notes as Assamese ী Bengali ী Burmese သီရိ (thiri) See Tamil below. Formerly used as an honorific title for rulers in old Indianized pre-Hispanic Filipino Sri kingdoms and rajahnates in thePhilippines , such as Sri Lumay of the Rajahnate of Cebu or Sri Bata Shaja of the Rajahnate of Butuan. Gujarati ી Often used as a title of veneration; however "Sri" is also the name of the ancient Javan rice goddess Dewi Sri. It is also used as a royal title such as "Sri Indonesian Sri Bhaginda", etc. "Sri" can also be used as part of a proper name, usually by Javanese people, such as "Sri Rahayu", "Ibu Sri" (Mrs. Sri), "Sri Agung", "Sri Rahayu", "Sri Padma Kenchana", etc. (sri) Often used to address royal or venerated figures, such as "Sri Bhaginda" alternatively (equivalent to "your majesty), and for names of deities, such as the ancient Javan written as rice goddess Dewi Sri. In modern Javanese, it is a common part of proper Javanese names, eg. the name of former Indonesian finance ministerSri Mulyani Indrawati. or "Sri" is also used as a name for things other than people, such as the Indonesian bus companies "Sri Rahayu" and "Sri Padma Kenchana". Kannada ೕ (Srey) សី Khmer and េសរី (Serey) ສ ີ (Si) and Lao ສຣ ີ (Sri) Used for honorific titles in Malay kingdoms and sultanates. Such as the honorific title for the Sultan of Brunei: Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Seri) Baginda Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Sanskrit influence to South East Asia is very) ﺳﺮي Malay strong since its effect to the people inhabiting Nusantara (Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore), although mainly of them are Muslim. Malayalam ീ Odia ୀ Punjabi ਸ਼ੀ (Sri) also (Sri or Sinhala Meaning "resplendent", as inSri Lanka, "Resplendent Island". "Shree") or (Siri) Sylheti (siri) (Shre or Tamil Its Tamil equivalent (Thiru) is also used. Shree) Telugu Thai Thai place names below. ศิริ (Siri) and ศรี (Sri or Si) Vietnamese transcription of honorific name prefix used among the Cham ethnic Vietnamese/Cham Chế minority. Place names The honorific is incorporated into manyplace names. A partial list: 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 in Andhra Pradesh and amilT Nadu border. Shri Khetra Name of the Puri Jagannath Dham, Odisha. one of the four Dham in Hindu religion. Sree Mandira (Odia: ୀମିର) 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 ofT iruchirapalli, in Tamil Nadu. Sri Nagar where nagar means a city is the capital of the northernmost state ofJammu and Kashmir Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte the administrative capital ofSri Lanka. Srivijaya, a former kingdom centered on Sumatra, Indonesia. Sri (ศรี), pronounced and usually transliteratedSi 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, the capital of Brunei. Seri Menanti, the royal town of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. See also Indian honorifics Filipino styles and honorifics Thai honorifics Indonesian honorifics Thai royal and noble titles Sinhala honorifics Malay styles and titles Greater India References 1. "Sri" (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/sri). Collins English Dictionary. 2. Turner, Sir Ralph Lilley; Dorothy Rivers Turner (January 2006) [1962]. A comparative dictionary of the Indo-Aryan languages (https://archive.is/20121215020900/http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/contextualize.pl?p.4.soas.1 98140). London: Oxford University Press. p. 736. Archived fromthe original (http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologi c/contextualize.pl?p.4.soas.198140) on 15 December 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2010. "śhrīˊ 12708 śhrīˊ feminine ' light, beauty ' R̥gveda, ' welfare, riches ' Avestan (Iranian) Pali Prakrit sirī – feminine, Prakrit sī – feminine ' prosperity '; Marāṭhī – s honorific affix to names of relationship (e.g.ā ȷā̈ – s, ājī – s) Jules Bloch La 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 – ." 3. Apte, Vaman Shivaram (1957–59).Revised and enlarged edition of Prin. V. S. Apte's The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary. Prasad Prakashan. p. 1575." 1 Wealth, riches, affluence, prosperity, plenty; ... -2 Royalty, majesty, royal wealth;... -3 Dignity, high position, state;... -4Beauty , 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.