Pragya: An AI-Based Semantic Recommendation System for Sanskrit Subhasitas

TL;DR

This work presents Pragya, a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) framework for semantic recommendation of Subhasitas, the first attempt at integrating retrieval and generation for Sanskrit Subhasitas, bridging cultural heritage with modern applied AI.

Abstract

Sanskrit Subhasitas encapsulate centuries of cultural and philosophical wisdom, yet remain underutilized in the digital age due to linguistic and contextual barriers. In this work, we present Pragya, a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) framework for semantic recommendation of Subhasitas. We curate a dataset of 200 verses annotated with thematic tags such as motivation, friendship, and compassion. Using sentence embeddings (IndicBERT), the system retrieves top-k verses relevant to user queries. The retrieved results are then passed to a generative model (Mistral LLM) to produce transliterations, translations, and contextual explanations. Experimental evaluation demonstrates that semantic retrieval significantly outperforms keyword matching in precision and relevance, while user studies highlight improved accessibility through generated summaries. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt at integrating retrieval and generation for Sanskrit Subhasitas, bridging cultural heritage with modern applied AI.