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.

Mucukunda

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Many great kings of the epic and the paurāṇic period were also deeply religious and intensely devoted to God. Mucukunda, one of the three sons of the king Māndhātā, the other two being Purukutsa and Ambarīṣa, was a rājarṣi[1] of this type. After fighting with the rāksasas[2] on behalf of the devas[3] at their request and helping them to win, he got the boon of a long and deep sleep as rest. He was also assured that anyone disturbing his sleep would be reduced to ashes by his very look.

When the demon Kālayavana attacked Mathurā, Śrī Kṛṣṇa maneuvered to lead him into the dark cave where Mucukunda was sleeping. Kālayavana kicked Mucukunda thinking that he was Kṛsṅa. When Mucukunda opened his eyes in anger and looked at him, he was immediately reduced to ashes. As Kṛṣṇa appeared and revealed his divine form, Mucukunda praised him with a beautiful hymn.[4] There is a hillock near Dholpur in Rajasthan. A cave in this hillock is said to be the place where Mucukunda slept.


References[edit]

  1. Rājarṣi means the sage-king.
  2. Rāksasas means the demons.
  3. Devas means the gods.
  4. Bhāgavata 10.51
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

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