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

Colonial Discourse and the Suffering of Indian American Children is now published after academic peer-review and available through open access.

In this book, we analyze the psycho-social consequences that Indian American children face after they are exposed to the school textbook discourse on Hinduism and ancient India. We show that there is an intimate connection―an almost exact correspondence―between James Mill’s ( a prominent politician in Britain and head of the British East India Company) colonial-racist discourse and the current school-textbook discourse. Consequently, this archaic and racist discourse, camouflaged under the cover of political correctness, produces in the Indian American children the same psychological impact as racism is known to produce: shame, inferiority, embarrassment, identity confusion, assimilation, and a phenomenon similar to racelessness where the children dissociate from the tradition and culture of their ancestors

This book is an outcome of 4 years of rigorous research as a part of our ongoing commitment at Hindupedia to challenge the representation of Hindu Dharma within Academia.

Aghamarṣaṇa-vrata

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Aghamarṣaṇa-vrata literally means ‘a religious rite prescribed for destroying sins’.

No man, however careful, can avoid sins of omission and commission in life. Recognizing this fact, the dharmaśāstras have provided prāyaścittas (expiation), which can obviate or at least minimize the effect of sins. Aghamarsana-vrata is such a prāyaścitta. It is referred to in ancient dharmaśāstra like by Gautama, Baudhāyana, Manu, Yājñavalkya and others, as an omnibus penance for all sins.

The person performing it must fast for three days, recite the Aghamarsana-sukta three times every day at the time of bath, standing in the water of a river or tank or pond, spend the days standing and nights, sitting. At the end of the vrata he should gift a milch-cow. This penance is said to be equal in sanctification to the avabhṛthasnāna (ceremonial bath) taken at the end of an Aśvamedha sacrifice.


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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