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.

Karmāśaya

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Karmāśaya literally means ‘the potential result of karma that resides in the mind’.

Karmāśaya is a technical word that has been used in the yoga philosophy.[1] When a particular karma either good or bad is performed, its unseen result ‘lie’ (śete) in the mind in a subtle form until it gets a suitable opportunity to be manifested. Such residual karma is called ‘karmāśaya’. It is born out of:

  • Kāma - desire
  • Lobha - greed
  • Moha - delusion
  • Krodha - anger and hatred

For instance, those desiring to attain svarga or heaven, perform sacrifices like Jyotiṣṭoma. Thereby they accumulate good karmāśaya. Those who commit sins like cheating or murder, due to greed or anger accumulate bad karmāśaya. If karmāśaya is very intense, it can produce its effect in this life itself. If not, it manifests in future births. The results will be be good or bad according to the merit or demerit of the actions done. Karmāśaya is sometimes termed as ‘kārmaśarīra’ also.


References[edit]

  1. Yogasutras of Pataṇjali 2.12
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore