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.

Kātyāyani

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Kātyāyani literally means ‘daughter of the sage Kata’.

File:Kātyāyani.jpg
Kātyāyani

Kātyāyani is one of the forms of the Divine Mother. She is so called Kātyāyani because she was once born as the daughter of the sage Kata. She is one of the nine forms of Durgā (Navadurgās).

Iconographical works describe her in different ways. She has three eyes and her body is bent in three places (tribhaṅga). She may be shown with four or eight or even ten arms. The objects commonly shown in her hands are:

  1. Khaḍga - sword
  2. Kheṭa - shield
  3. Kamala - lotus
  4. Abhayamudrā - gesture of protection
  5. Triśula - trident
  6. Dhanus - bow
  7. Bāṇa - arrow
  8. Aṅkuśa - goad
  9. Pāśa - noose
  10. Śakti - a special weapon
  11. Paraśu - battle axe
  12. Ghaṇṭā - bell

She is shown mounting a lion. She has the demon Mahiṣāsura below her left foot.

In the Bhāgavata[1] the young cowherd girls are described to have performed a religious rite called ‘Kātyāyanī-vrata’[2] in order to get Kṛṣṇa as their husband.

  1. ↑ Bhāgavata 10.22.1-5
  2. ↑ It is the worship of the Mother goddess Kātyāyanī.

Contributors to this article

Krishna Maheshwari, Deval Sancheti

Explore Other Articles

Retrieved from "https://hindupedia.com/index.php?title=Kātyāyani&oldid=134855"