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

Ardha-kṛcchra

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Ardha-kṛcchra literally means ‘half kṛcchra.

Sin (pāpa) and its expiation (prāyaścitta) is one of the topics discussed by the dharmaśāstras, often in great detail. Many of the expiatory rites have been given the general name ‘kṛcchra’ (‘that which cuts happiness or causes suffering). Out of the several kṛcchras, the ‘ardha- kṛcchra’ is an expiation for minor sins and causes only ‘half’ the suffering of a kṛcchra (ardha = half).

The repentant transgressor is expected to subsist on food obtained without asking for it, for the first three days and thereafter fast completely for three more days. As per another rule, he should eat only once in a day for two days, subsist on food got unasked for two more days and fast completely for the last two days of the six day discipline.


References[edit]

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

Contributors to this article

Krishna Maheshwari, Deval Sancheti

Explore Other Articles

Retrieved from "https://hindupedia.com/index.php?title=Ardha-kṛcchra&oldid=87178"