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Support Sanatana Rahasya

Everything on this site is free and stays free. One person researches and writes it.

There are no advertisers, no sponsors and no paywall. Most readers will never give anything, and that is exactly as it should be — the site runs on the few who do.

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A monthly contribution is a standing instruction you control — Razorpay emails you a receipt each time, and you can stop it whenever you like, in one step, from any of those emails.

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You will be taken to Razorpay's secure page to finish. Indian banks and payment methods only.

Why this needs you

Every article here is researched against primary sources, checked line by line, and written to last. That work takes weeks, not minutes. There are only two honest ways to pay for it. One is to take money from advertisers and sponsors, and let them quietly bend the truth. The other is to be funded by the people it serves, and stay free, open and unbought. We have chosen the second, and it only works if enough readers step in.

When you contribute, you are not buying access. The knowledge is already yours, and the student in a small town who could never pay gets exactly what you get. What you are paying for is that this remains true: open to all, accountable to no one but the sources, and here for the next seeker who needs it.

What this is, plainly

  • One person, not an organisation. Payments go to an individual, not to a registered trust or a Section 8 company.
  • No 80G receipt, and no tax deduction. Razorpay emails a payment receipt; it is a record of payment, not an 80G certificate. Most Indian giving pages can offer one and this cannot, so it is said here rather than discovered at checkout.
  • Which is also the point. No board, no institutional funder and no grant conditions means nothing outside this site shapes what it says about contested subjects — and a good deal of what is written here is contested.

What your money goes to

No invented total, and no fundraising thermometer with a target that cannot be substantiated. These are simply the costs.

Domain and hostingWhat it costs to keep the site up and fast.
Reference worksCritical editions, translations and scholarship, bought.
Manuscript and image licensingPermissions for what cannot be used freely.
Payment processingRazorpay's cut of every contribution.

The largest input is research and writing time, and contributions do not currently cover it. What they cover is everything above, so the work can continue without an advertiser attached to it.

What exists so far, which you can count for yourself:

What we promise in return

  • No sponsored content, ever.
  • No advertiser, institution or funder influences a conclusion.
  • Every substantive claim traces to a classical text or named scholarship.
  • Contested claims are attributed, and the opposing case is named.
  • Errors are corrected, and the correction is visible.
  • We will not add you to any mailing list.

Other ways to help

Most readers will never contribute money, and these matter genuinely rather than as a consolation.

Share an article Send one to someone it would help
Cite it, with a link Quote it and name the source

Follow the work

New pieces are posted as they go up.

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If you cite it

Quote whatever is useful. Please name Sanatana Rahasya and link to the page you took it from, so a reader can follow it back and check the sources for themselves.

Being listed

Anonymity is the default and always will be. If you would like to be listed, there will be a box to tick at payment, and a first name or a handle is enough. A supporters page will go up once there are supporters to put on it. There will be no live counter, now or later.

Questions

Where does the money actually go?
To the running costs listed above: hosting, the reference works and translations the research is built on, licensing, and payment fees. The largest input by far is research and writing time, and that is currently unpaid. There is no salary, no team and no office.
Is this tax-deductible? Are you a registered charity?
No, and no. Sanatana Rahasya is run by one person, not a registered trust or a Section 8 company, so no 80G receipt can be issued and contributions are not tax-deductible. Razorpay will email you a payment receipt, but that is a record of payment, not an 80G certificate.
What are the processing fees?
Razorpay takes a percentage of each contribution before it reaches us, and the rest arrives in full. Larger contributions therefore lose proportionally less to fees than very small ones do.
Can I contribute from outside India?
Not at the moment. Payments are accepted from Indian banks and Indian payment methods only. If you are abroad and want to help, the non-monetary options above matter more than you would think, or simply write and say so.
Will you email me, or share my details?
No. Your email and phone go to Razorpay to process the payment and issue a receipt. We will not add you to a mailing list, we will not write to you about future appeals, and we will not pass your details to anyone.
Will my name be published anywhere?
Not unless you ask. Anonymity is the default. If a supporters page goes up, it will list only the people who explicitly opted in, by first name or a handle of their choosing.
How do I cancel a monthly contribution?
Whenever you like, and in the same number of clicks it took to start. Monthly can be cancelled immediately or at the end of the current billing cycle, whichever you prefer, and nothing further is charged. If a link ever fails you, write to us and it will be cancelled at our end.
How do I get a receipt, or a refund?
Razorpay emails a receipt automatically once the payment goes through. If something has gone wrong, or you contributed by mistake, write to the address below and it will be refunded without argument.

Something wrong with a payment, or a complaint? Write to [email protected] and it will be sorted out.