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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.

Daurmanasya

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Daurmanasya literally means ‘frustration’.

A complete control over one’s own mind is a virtue that we often hanker for. Patañjali (200 B. C.) the great master of Yoga, had dealt with this topic from two standpoints.

  1. In the negative aspect, one should try constantly to avoid or overcome the various obstacles that disturb our mental balance or concentration.
  2. In the positive aspect, repeated efforts should be made to tackle the mind directly and control it.

Patañjali in his Yogasutras lists nine major and five minor obstacles which he refers to as ‘antarāyas’[1] to the control the mind. ‘Daurmanasya’ is listed as the second in the list of minor impediments. Literally it means ‘being in a bad state of mind’.[2] In effect, it refers to the frustration which one gets when one’s desires are unfulfilled or thwarted.

It is neither possible nor desirable to fulfill all our cravings and ambitions. Hence we should take recourse to discrimination and be convinced that desire is the root-cause of all our troubles. Once the intensity of desire is lessened, the shock of disappointment will also be lessened. When it is completely eliminated, the problem is permanently solved.


References[edit]

  1. ↑ Yogasutras by Patañjali 1.30, 31
  2. ↑ dur = bad, manas = mind
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

Contributors to this article

Krishna Maheshwari, Deval Sancheti

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