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.

Kauṣitaki Brāhmaṇa

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda


The Vedas are generally divided into two sections, the Mantra and the Brāhmaṇa. Sometimes this division is extended by rearranging and adding two more sections, the Āraṇyaka and the Upaniṣad.

The Kausitaki Brāhmana (2500 B. C.) is also referred as the Sāñkhāyana Brāhmana. It is one of the two Brāhmaṇas of the Ṛgveda that is available now. The other one is Aitareya Brāhmana. Some scholars feel that the Kausitaki and the Sāñkhāyana Brāhmaṇas are different, while others opine that the former belongs to the Sāṅkhāyana-śākhā or recension and hence they are same. There is a third view that Sāṅkhāyana was a disciple of Kauṣitaki and the author could be either of them.

Segments of Kauṣitaki Brāhmaṇa[edit]

There are 30 adhyāyas or chapters divided into 226 khaṇḍas or sections. Each khaṇḍa contains long passages in prose. Like the Aitareya Brāhmana, this work also devotes the major part to the delineation of the details of sacrifices like:

Characteristics of Kauṣitaki Brāhmaṇa[edit]

A few special features of this Brāhmaṇa are as follows:

  • The tradition of gotras and pravaras had already taken root in the society.
  • The ṛṣis were well-versed in the science of health. They had recognized that certain diseases appear as a result of the change of seasons.
  • There were kings with large and disciplined armies.
  • People in North India were experts in Grammar.
  • The names of the lunar months like Caitra and Vaiśākha are mentioned here. The eight names of Siva like Rudra and Paśupati are also mentioned. Viṣṇu and Śiva are equally honored.
  • Immolation of animals in sacrifices and flesh-eating have been condemned.

References[edit]

  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

Contributors to this article

Apurva Mahendra Bhangdia, Deval Sancheti

Explore Other Articles

Retrieved from "https://hindupedia.com/index.php?title=Kauṣitaki_Brāhmaṇa&oldid=134781"