Colonial Discourse and the Suffering of Indian American Children is now freely available.
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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.

Āvaraṇa-śakti

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Āvaraṇa-śakti literally means ‘veiling power’.

According to the Advaita Vedānta propounded by Śaṅkara (A. D. 788-820) the ultimate Reality is one only. It is the one without a second,

Ekam eva advitiyam brahma

Śankara attributes this to māyā or avidyā or ajñāna (illusion or nescience or ignorance). This māyā/ avidyā covers this Truth or Brahman and makes it appear as something else which really is not, viz., the world. For instance, the semidarkness of twilight covers up the real nature of a rope and projects it as a snake. The power of māyā/avidyā to veil the truth is called ‘āvaraṇaśakti’ and its power to project it as something else, is called ‘vikṣepaśakti.’

Just as the bright light destroys the illusory perception of the snake in the rope, even jñāna, knowledge or direct experience of the Truth (Brahman/Ātman) will destroy this māyā/avidyā.


References[edit]

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

Contributors to this article

Krishna Maheshwari, Deval Sancheti

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