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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.


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Bargit

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Bargit literally means ‘excellent songs’.

The Vaiṣṇava movement in Assam owes its origin mainly to Saṅkaradeva (A.D. 1486-1568). He and his chief disciple Mādhavadeva have left behind a class of devotional poems and songs in Assamese. These songs are well-known as ‘bargit’ (‘vara-gītam or excellent songs’). They still hold their sway upon the masses of Assam.

These lyrical songs are classical as far as musical techniques are concerned. Their content is highly philosophical. They also include the stories of Rāma and Kṛṣṇa in their content.

The bargīts of Saṅkaradeva are full of dāsyabhakti (devotion to God like a servant towards his master) whereas those of Mādhavadeva excel in Vātsalyabhakti (devotion to God considering a devotee as God's child).

Later writers like Gopāladeva, Anīruddha, Srīrāma and others were mostly pontiffs of Vaiṣṇavite monasteries (called ‘Sattras’). They imitated these bargīts and attained some distinction in this field.


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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