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.

Aruṇandi

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Śaivism, centred round the worship of Śiva, is a very ancient religious cult. Śaivasiddhānta, also known as Tamil Śaivism, is an important contribution to the Śaiva lore of South India. Its basic canonical works were composed by four Ācāryas :

All of them lived during the period of 13th-14th centuries. These four have been designated as ‘Sanātana Ācāryas’ or ancient teachers.

Arulnandi was the family preceptor of the young Meykaṇdār. The story goes that puffed up with vanity, he once asked his pupil Meykaṇdār about the nature of ignorance. Meykaṇdār, the young saint simply looked at the proud questioner himself as if in reply. The teacher immediately realized that he himself had been pointed out as a specimen of ignorance, and, overcome by shame, became a disciple of the young saint, assuming the name Arulnandi Śivācāriār.

He has written a commentary called Sivajñānasiddhi on Meykaṇḍār’s basic work Śivajñānabodha which itself is in twelve sutras or aphorisms. This work is in two parts

  • ‘Parapakkam’ - It refutes other schools of philosophy
  • ‘Supakkam’ - It expounds the fundamentals of his own school

‘Supakkam’ is in verse and is considered to be a commentary on Meykaṇdār’s work. Another work, Irupāvirupabtu is also attributed to Arulnandi.


References[edit]

  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore