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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.


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.

Mahātala

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

The purāṇas describe the universe as comprising 14 worlds. They are:

  1. 7 being above this bhuloka or earth
  2. 6 being below this earth

These six are generally given the name Pātālalokas. However, Mahātala is the fourth nether world starting with Atala just below this earth. It is supposed to be inhabited by multi-headed serpents all descendants of the sage Kaśyapa and his wife Kadru. Some of the chief ones among them are:

  1. Kahaka
  2. Takṣaka
  3. Suṣeṇa
  4. Kāliya

Though they are terrible in appearance and cruel by nature they live in eternal fear of Garuḍa the great eagle-mount of Lord Viṣṇu, an inveterate enemy of theirs.


References[edit]

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

Contributors to this article

Himanshu Bhatt, Krishna Maheshwari, Deval Sancheti

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