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.

Maṅkigitā

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Maṅkigitā literally means ‘song of the sage Maṅki’.

Origin of Maṅkigitā[edit]

The Bhagavadgitā[1] by its extraordinary beauty, elegance and spiritual eminence, inspired the emergence of many other gītās, most of them being in the Mahābhārata itself. One such is this Mañkigitā. It is a part of the Śāntiparva.[2]

Motivation of Creating Maṅkigitā[edit]

The sage Maṅki purchased two oxen, yoked them and was taking them to a field. It so happened that a camel lying on the road, suddenly got up when the oxen had just approached it and started running with the yoke on its neck and the two bullocks hanging. Having lost his source of livelihood, Maṅki developed vairāgya or dispassion and taught this gītā to his own mind.

Overview of the Content[edit]

The gist of the Mañkigitā can be given as follows:

The mind is full of desires. These desires can never be satiated. A person takes a lot of trouble in acquiring wealth. But the accumulated wealth tempts thieves and robbers who take it away, harming or even killing its owner. Loss of wealth also generates intense suffering. Hence one must destroy the seven enemies like kāma,[3] krodha,[4] lobha,[5] moha,[6] mada,[7] mātsarya[8] and ahaṅkāra.[9]

The best way to conquer desires is to stop saṅkalpa.[10] By attaining yoga,[11] I will become happy. Then the mind can never dupe into sorrow and suffering.


References[edit]

  1. ↑ Bhagavadgitā means the ‘Song of God’.
  2. ↑ Śāntiparva chapter 177, verses 5 to 54
  3. ↑ Kāma means lust.
  4. ↑ Krodha means anger.
  5. ↑ Lobha means greed.
  6. ↑ Moha means delusion.
  7. ↑ Mada means intoxication.
  8. ↑ Mātsarya means jealousy.
  9. ↑ Ahaṅkāra means egoism.
  10. ↑ Saṅkalpa means deciding to work for fulfilling the desire.
  11. ↑ Yoga means concentration of mind on Brahman.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

Contributors to this article

Deval Sancheti

Explore Other Articles

Retrieved from "https://hindupedia.com/index.php?title=Maṅkigitā&oldid=135027"