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.

Akṣamālā

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Akṣamālā literally means ‘rosary of rudrākṣa beads’.

Aksamala.jpg

Japa or repetition of a mantra (a set of religious formula or a name of God or of a deity) is considered an important aspect of spiritual and religious discipline. Since a count of such repetition should be kept, devices for keeping such count are common to all religions. One important device is the mālā or rosary.

A rosary made of rudrakṣa beads called aksamālā (Elaeocarpus ganitrus or its berries) is very common. The number of beads may vary from 32, 54, 64 or 108. There will be one bead extra, which will be bigger than the others or fixed above the others. This is called ‘meru’ and should not be crossed over during counting. Certain icons of gods (for e. g., Śiva, Sarasvati, Brahmā) are shown with the akṣamālā in one of their hands.

Vasiṣṭha’s wife Arundhatī is sometimes known as Akṣamālā.


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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