Sastri
/ˈʃɑː.stri/noun
A title or surname, especially in South Asia, traditionally referring to a learned person versed in Hindu scripture or religious law.
Did you know?Sastri is a variant transliteration of Shastri, ultimately linked to Sanskrit śāstra—authoritative teaching or scripture—whose root also carries the sense of instructing or governing.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ḱēns- / *ḱes-
“To instruct, order, or direct; the deeper reconstructed root associated with Sanskrit śās is debated in detail but is traditionally connected with authoritative instruction.”
Vedic Sanskrit
Sanskrit
śās-
“To instruct, teach, command, or govern.”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
śāstra
“A treatise, body of teaching, scripture, or authoritative rule.”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
śāstrin
“A person learned in śāstra; a scholar or teacher of sacred texts.”
Medieval and Early Modern South Asia
Sanskrit-derived titles
Śāstrī / Shastri
“An honorific for a learned scholar, particularly one trained in Sanskrit religious or legal literature.”
Modern English
English
Sastri / Shastri
“A South Asian surname or title, with Sastri representing a spelling variant of Shastri.”
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