Colonial Discourse and the Suffering of Indian American Children Book Cover.webp

In this book, we analyze the psycho-social consequences faced by Indian American children after exposure to the school textbook discourse on Hinduism and ancient India. We demonstrate that there is an intimate connection—an almost exact correspondence—between James Mill’s colonial-racist discourse (Mill was the head of the British East India Company) and the current school textbook discourse. This racist discourse, camouflaged under the cover of political correctness, produces the same psychological impacts on Indian American children that racism typically causes: shame, inferiority, embarrassment, identity confusion, assimilation, and a phenomenon akin to racelessness, where children dissociate from the traditions and culture of their ancestors.


This book is the result of four years of rigorous research and academic peer-review, reflecting our ongoing commitment at Hindupedia to challenge the representation of Hindu Dharma within academia.

Anāsakti-yoga

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By Swami Harshananda

Anāsakti-yoga literally means ‘Yoga of disinterested-ness,’ Yoga of detachment’.

The dominant trend of the Upaniṣads towards karma-samnyāsa or karma-tyāga, renunciation of all actions, since it was strongly believed that karma or action lead to spiritual bondage. Opposition to this view is first noticed in the Īśāvāsya Upanisad[1] which is later on developed in the Bhagavadgitā as a regular doctrine.

It is āsakti or attachment to the fruits of actions that is really the cause of spiritual bondage. Hence, if actions are performed with anāsakti or detachment, the sting or the binding taint, is taken away. The very same actions lead to purification of mind and spiritual enlightenment. This is ‘anāsakti-yoga,’ yoga or union with God, through anāsakti or detachment. This theory thus strikes a balance between karma (activity) and saṃyāsa (renunciation), between pravṛtti (activism) and nivṛtti (withdrawal).


References[edit]

  1. Īśāvāsya Upanisad 2
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

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