SanatanVani ॥हिन्दी

Editorial policy

Sanatanshala is run by an independent publisher, not by a temple, institution or team of scholars. This page explains exactly how our pages are prepared, so you can judge how far to rely on them.

Verse texts

We never type verses from memory and never let AI write or "fix" a verse. For each text we gather several independent publications of it (printed-edition transcriptions and established devotional websites) and compare them line by line with software we wrote for this purpose.

  • A line is published only when at least two independent sources give the same reading. Sites that copy each other are counted as one source.
  • Where sources differ only in spelling convention (for example ब/व or स/श in Awadhi), we follow the convention of the text's language and record the other readings.
  • Where sources genuinely disagree and no majority exists, the text is held back until the disagreement is resolved from a reading that at least one source attests, with the reason recorded.
  • Each text page lists the sources it was compared against, and keeps the full comparison record.
  • Vrat kathas are an exception to holding a line back: where no two editions of a katha agree on a line, we show the line as one edition prints it, marked "Editions differ", with every edition's reading listed under it.
  • Aartis and chalisas are the other exception. Most sites copy one another, so a popular aarti often has only two or three independent editions online, and they may differ in a word. Where no two independent editions agree on a line, we show the reading of the most-visited of those sites, measured by its rank in the Tranco list (a public research ranking of websites), mark the line "Editions differ" and list every edition's reading under it. If more than a quarter of the lines differ in their words (not just in spelling), the aarti or chalisa is held instead. Where the editions use the same words and differ only in spelling, we use that site's spelling without a note. When only one independent edition of an aarti or chalisa can be found online (the other sites copy it), we publish it only if that site is among the 100,000 most-visited in the Tranco list, and the page says the text was taken from one edition and could not be compared.

Retold kathas

Katha pages begin with the story retold in our own plain words, drafted with the help of AI. Every point in a retelling must appear in at least two of the sources listed for it; anything we cannot find in two sources is left out. A retelling is a summary, not scripture: the original text, compared across editions as described above, follows it on the same page. Folk kathas that have no fixed original text, and kathas whose original text we have not compared, are given as a retelling only, with links to the published versions we compared.

Puja vidhi

Puja vidhi pages (how a puja is done at home) are written the same way. Every item of samagri and every step must appear in at least two of the published guides linked on the page, and anything found in only one is left out. We do not print the Sanskrit mantras that priests recite at each step unless we have compared them across editions; where a mantra, aarti or katha is needed, the page links to the text on this site that has been compared. Customs vary widely by region and family, and the page says so.

Meanings and descriptions

Line-by-line meanings, the word meanings and verse notes on our meaning pages, summaries, "how it is recited" notes and deity and festival descriptions are drafted with the help of AI (Claude, by Anthropic) and checked against the verse text and the cited sources before publishing. They are simple explanations of the plain sense of each line, not scholarly commentary. Traditions interpret many verses differently; where that matters we say so rather than pick one.

No page on this site has been reviewed by a priest, pandit or academic scholar, and we do not claim otherwise.

Festival and vrat dates

Dates are calculated by our own astronomical engine (sidereal, Lahiri ayanamsa) and published only when they agree with at least two established online panchangs. Where references disagree, or a tithi changes close to sunrise, we show the date as held or explain the difference. Date pages say "verified against online panchangs"; we have not checked them against printed panchangs. Local customs and your family priest take precedence over any website.

What we do not publish

  • Medical, astrological or financial advice.
  • Promises of specific results from recitation beyond what the text itself says.
  • Copyrighted translations, commentaries or audio.

Corrections

If you find a mistake, use the "Report an error" box on any text or meaning page, or contact us about any other page. Confirmed corrections are listed on our corrections page and in the change log of the page concerned.