Shri

For other usages, see Sri (disambiguation)

Sanskrit Grammar

Sri, Shri or Shree (Devanagari श्री, official IAST transliteration Śrī) is pronounced halfway between sree and shree. Grammatically, the word belongs to the feminine subjunctive gender in the Sanskrit language. It is used as a title of veneration, a Hindu honorific stemming from the Vedic conception of prosperity. It signifies the goddess of wealth - Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu. Lakshmi symbolises beauty, wealth and grace.

Significance

It is an epithet of some Hindu gods. It is also used as a prefix to the names of men and women who are considered great or holy, or who derive their power from that which is holy.

When used as a title for gods, Śrī is sometimes translated into English as Lord, but this is inaccurate and it is generally agreed that Śrī is best left untranslated.

Śrī is one of the names of Ganesha, the Hindu god of prosperity. The origin of the word Sri goes back to when Lord Ganesha lost his head while protecting his mother Pārvatī. This is why He is the first to be worshipped in all the 'yagyas'.

General Usage

Sri is also the standard honorific, akin to Mr. in English, Effendi in Turkish, or Thiru in Tamil.

Sri/Shri is often used as a respectful affix to the names of celebrated or revered persons. It is not gender-specific, but the assumption that it is gender-specific has resulted in the title of Shrimati (abbreviated Smt) for women .

Another usage is as an emphatic compound (which can be used in multiple: shri shri, or sri sri sri, etc.) in princely styles, notably in Darbar Shri, Desai Shri, Khan Sahib Shri Babi, Malek Shri and Thakur Shri.

Place Name

It is used in the name of the country Sri Lanka, which means venerable island.