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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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Kaṇtakaśodhana

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Kaṇtakaśodhana literally means ‘searching and punishing evil persons’.

‘Kaṇṭaka’ literally means a ‘thorn’ and figuratively denotes a ‘harmful person’. A ruler has to organize a set of good spies who can not only find out but also catch the culprits red-handed. These culprits plot against the people and against the nation. Such an act was known as ‘kaṇtakaśodhana’.[1]

Running a kingdom is a challenging task. A king has to look at the management side not only from the positive angle, but also from the negative angle. ‘Kaṇṭaka-śodhana’ belongs to the negative aspect.

The espionage system described and prescribed by Kautilya was quite elaborate and almost fool-proof.

Aspects of Kaṇtakaśodhana[edit]

The items listed under ‘kaṇṭakaśodhana’ by the Arthaśāstra include:

  • Whether the artisans working in the guilds were maintaining the quality of the work and giving the finished articles on time
  • Whether the weights and measures used by the traders were genuine and standard
  • Whether the traders, workers and manufacturers were maintaining the standards set for them for selling unadulterated things
  • Whether the government officers were taking bribes or cheating the State
  • Whether the doctors were treating their patients as per the ethics of medical science

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Section 4 of the Arthaśāstra of Kauṭilya 300 B. C.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

Contributors to this article

Apurva Mahendra Bhangdia, Deval Sancheti

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