Colonial Discourse and the Suffering of Indian American Children is now freely available.
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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.

Piśāca

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Piśāca literally means ‘eater of flesh,’ ‘a goblin’.

Belief in devils, goblins, elves and evil spirits is common to almost all the people of the world. In the epics and mythological works, they are called variously as bhutas, pretas, piśācas, yakṣas and so on. Out of these, the piśācas, the flesh- eating and blood-drinking evil spirits, are the most malevolent bent upon harming others. However, being created by Brahmā, they too have a place in his creation.

They are unclean spirits confined to the antarikṣa.[1] They also live in unclean and barren places. In some purāṇas, they are described as belonging to the court of Kubera, the king of Yakṣas ruling at Alakāpurī. In some other purāṇas, they are depicted as devotees of Śiva and living on the Muñjavān mountain.


References[edit]

  1. ↑ Antarikṣa means the middle regions.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

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