Summary
Prabhu means master or prince in Sanskrit and many of the Indian languages; it is a name sometimes applied to God.[1] The term is also used by devotees of the Hindu God Lord Krishna/Vishnu as a title and form of address. It is also appended after a devotee's name, for example "Madhava Prabhu". In Indonesia, especially in Balinese, Javanese, and Sundanese culture, the term "Prabhu" is used as a part of royal titles, especially to address Kings such as Prabhu Siliwangi, Prabu Kiansantang (the son of Prabu Siliwangi), etc.
Surname edit
Prabhu is a common surname among people across the Konkan Coast in India, from Karnataka and Maharashtra to Goa.[2][3]
As a title edit
"Prabhu" is a Sanskrit word, it is predominantly used to refer to a supreme being or god. Certain Indian languages associate the word for someone they have devotion for especially for Hindu gods like Lord Krishna and Rama. According to historian Anant Ramkrishna Sinai Dhume, Prabhu was a title accorded to the representative of the main village of the taluka (district) committee. The Prabhus may have also occupied official posts in the central administration, without prejudice to their original posts which were hereditary. Traditionally, a Prabhu was a village chief, Ministers, Zamindars, administrators, landlord and as such a master to the many agricultural labourers that were needed to cultivate his lands.[4] "Prabhu" as a title is mainly found among Gaud Brahmins, Saraswat Brahmins, Karhade Brahmins and Prabhu communities in Maharashtra and Goa.[5] In Indonesia, rajas (kings) are given the title "Prabhu", such as Prabhu Siliwangi king of the Sunda Kingdom, Prabu Kiansantang (son of Prabhu Siliwangi), Prabhu Bratasenna king of Java who ruled in the 8th century, and other numerous kings.
Notable people edit
- Prabhu Dasamuka, Indonesian (Javanese and Balinese) name addressed for Ravana which means "The king with ten heads"
First name edit
- Prabhu (actor) (born 1956), Indian actor
- Prabhu B. Patil, Indian bacterial geneticist
- Prabhu Chauhan (born 1969)
- Prabhu Chawla (born 1946), Indian journalist
- Prabhu Dayal Balmiki (born 1963), Indian politician
- Prabhu Dayal Himatsingka (1889–1991), Indian politicianCongress
- Prabhu Dayal Katheria (born 1952), Indian politician and agriculturist
- Prabhu Dayal Nigam, Indian interventional cardiologist
- Prabhu Deva, Indian dance choreographer, film director, producer, and actor
- Prabhu Goel (born 1951), an Indian American researcher, entrepreneur and businessman
- Prabhu Jagadbandhu (1871–1921), Hindu Saint of Bengal
- Prabhu Lal Bhatnagar (1912–1976), Indian mathematician
- Prabhu Lal Saini (born 1954), Rajasthani politician
- Prabhu Mundkur (born 1988), Indian model and actor
- Prabhu Narayan Singh (1855–1931), ruler of the Indian Princely State of Benares State from 1889 to 1931
- Prabhu Siliwangi, the king of the Hindu Sunda kingdom of Indonesia from 1482 to 1521
- Prabhu Solomon (born 1969), Indian film director
Surname edit
- Binita Prabhu, a fictional character from the British soap opera Doctors
- Bolanthur Krishna Prabhu (1882–?), wrote Chandrahas Natak
- Gayathri Prabhu (born 1974), Indian novelist
- Ghanasyam Prabhu, an Indian cricket umpire
- Girish Prabhu, Indian musician
- H. Boniface Prabhu (born 1972), Indian qriplegic wheelchair tennis player
- Uday Krishna Prabhu (born 1954), Indian sprinter
- Jaideep Prabhu (born 1967), professor
- K. N. Prabhu (1923–2006)
- Lakshman Prabhu, a minister in the court of the Silhara dynasty
- Leo Prabhu (born 1933), veteran dramatist, playwright, and novelist
- M. S. Prabhu, on IMDb
- Mamta Prabhu (born 1983), table tennis player
- Manik Prabhu (1817–1865), Hindu saint, philosopher, poet, mystic, and guru
- Manjiri Prabhu (born 1964), Indian author, TV producer and filmmaker
- Manohar Prabhu Parrikar (1955–2019), Indian politician
- N. U. Prabhu (1924–2022), Indian-American mathematician
- Neeraj Prabhu (born 1976), Indian-born former English cricketer
- Neeshan Prabhoo, chutney musician
- Peter Paul Prabhu (1931–2013)
- R. Prabhu (born 1947), Indian National Congress member of Parliament in India
- R.S. Prabhu (born 1950), Indian film producer and film director
- Rakesh Prabhu, Indian cricketer
- S. R. Prabhu, Indian film producer
- Satyajit Prabhu, music arranger, composer, and multi-instrumentalist
- Seetharam Prabhu (born 1964), Indian cricket umpire
- Shashi Prabhu (born 1944), Indian architect
- Srinivas Prabhu, actor
- Sunil Prabhu (born 1969), Indian politician
- Suresh Prabhu (born 1953), Indian politician
- Vasant K. Prabhu, professor
- Vasant Prabhu (died 1968)
- Vasundhara Prabhu, director of education at the Farnsworth Art Museum
- Venkat Prabhu (born 1975), Indian filmmaker, actor, director, and playback singer
- Vikram Prabhu, Indian actor
See also edit
- Prabhu Communities, a group of distinct Hindu castes found in Maharashtra, India
- Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1533)
- A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896–1977), Indian spiritual teacher
- Rani, the Sanskrit word for "princess"
- Prabhu (film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam-language film
- Hey Prabhu!, a 2019 Indian web TV show
- All pages with titles beginning with Prabhu
References edit
- ^ Frank Davis. "BABA WORDS, The Master's Glossary, N-P". Retrieved 29 July 2016.
- ^ "Prabhu Family History". Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press. Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press. 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
- ^ Alan Machado (1999). Sarasvati's Children: A History of the Mangalorean Christians - Google Books. I.J.A. Publications, 1999. p. 264. ISBN 9788186778258.
- ^ Bernardo Elvino de Sousa (2011). The Last Prabhu: A Hunt for Roots : DNA, Ancient Documents and Migration in Goa - Google Books. Goa 1556, 2011. p. 163. ISBN 9789380739151.
- ^ The Illustrated Weekly of India, Volume 91, Part 3. Bennett, Coleman & Company, Limited, at the Times of India Press. 1970. p. 8.
Prabhu is a title found amongst Saraswats , Karhade and other brahmins.
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