1. Scope
SlokaSandra provides general devotional, cultural, linguistic, and educational reference material for slokas, mantras, stotras, hymns, sahasranamas, and related traditional texts. It is not a substitute for instruction from a qualified teacher, priest, acharya, guru, scholar, lineage authority, or other person responsible for a particular tradition or practice.
The site does not claim to represent every sampradaya, recension, regional custom, temple practice, or family tradition. Readers should use the material as a reference and consult an appropriate tradition-specific authority when precise ritual, initiatory, liturgical, or lineage guidance matters.
2. Canonical text and source integrity
SlokaSandra aims to preserve source text exactly as supported by the cited edition, source, or traditional reference. Sacred text must not be silently rewritten by AI. Even careful transcription can contain typographic errors, and different manuscripts, editions, recensions, or established traditions may preserve legitimate textual variants.
Where a source is uncertain, a field may be withheld, flagged for review, or presented with a qualification rather than guessed. A page should not be treated as evidence that one displayed variant is universally authoritative across all traditions.
3. Traditions and interpretation can differ
Names, deity associations, ritual context, order of verses, recitation customs, nyasa, viniyoga, dhyana verses, phalashruti, and other surrounding practices can differ by tradition, language, region, teacher, or source work. SlokaSandra may describe these differences where reliable references support them, but it does not decide theological disputes or declare one living tradition superior to another.
4. Transliteration, translation, and meaning
Transliteration is a representation of script, not a replacement for the original text. Translation and explanatory meaning involve interpretation. Sanskrit and other Indian devotional languages can contain layered grammatical, philosophical, poetic, and theological meanings that are difficult to reduce to a single English rendering.
Meanings on SlokaSandra are intended to aid understanding, not to establish the only valid interpretation. Where a tradition-specific interpretation is presented, it should be identified as such when practical.
5. Pronunciation and audio verification
Pronunciation quality is treated as a correctness issue. Human-verified traditional recitation, expert-reviewed audio, AI-assisted pronunciation, and audio awaiting verification are different statuses. Do not assume that an audio track is authoritative unless the page explicitly states its verification status.
Vedic mantra, svara, accent, meter, and other pronunciation-sensitive material require particular care and may not be suitable for unreviewed text-to-speech generation. For formal recitation, ritual use, or lineage-specific pronunciation, learn from a qualified teacher or trusted traditional source.
Normal SlokaSandra listening experiences are intended for in-site streaming and learning. The site does not provide an audio-download feature as part of its standard listening interface.
6. No guaranteed outcomes
Descriptions of traditional benefits, devotional purposes, auspicious associations, or customary uses are presented as religious or cultural context. SlokaSandra does not guarantee spiritual, medical, psychological, fertility, financial, legal, employment, relationship, educational, or other life outcomes from reciting, listening to, or displaying any prayer or devotional text.
Do not use devotional content as a substitute for qualified medical, mental-health, legal, financial, emergency, or other professional assistance when such help is needed.
7. Site content and permitted use
Unless a page states otherwise, SlokaSandra site text, design, software, and original presentation are provided for personal informational and devotional-reference use. Canonical works may have different copyright status depending on the source edition, translation, commentary, recording, image, or jurisdiction. A traditional prayer being old does not automatically make every modern translation, recording, typesetting, photograph, or artwork freely reusable.
Third-party source material, recordings, images, translations, datasets, and external links remain subject to their own rights and licenses. Do not remove provenance, misrepresent a source, bypass security controls, or republish SlokaSandra material in a way that falsely suggests endorsement or traditional authority.
8. Availability and changes to the service
SlokaSandra may add, revise, correct, move, or remove content, verification labels, audio, translations, and features as the reference develops. We do not guarantee uninterrupted availability, complete coverage of every prayer or tradition, or that every field will be populated when reliable evidence is unavailable.
9. Changes and contact
These terms may be updated when the product, source model, legal requirements, or service features materially change. Canonical-text corrections, source concerns, pronunciation issues, and questions about these terms can be sent through the SlokaSandra contact form.