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.

Puṣṭimārgā

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Devotees of the Bhakti Movement made religion not only simple but also affable by their inspiring lives and simple teachings. One such teacher who wielded considerable influence over a large section of people was Vallabhācārya or Vallabha.[1] The words ‘puṣṭi’ and ‘puṣṭimārga’ are his contribution to the bhakti literature. He categorizes bhakti or devotion to God into ‘maryādābhakti’ and ‘puṣṭibhakti’.

The devotion that follows the beaten track as per the various steps given in the scriptures like śravaṇa,[2] kirtana[3] and arcana[4] belongs to the first category. The jīvas[5] or sādhakas[6] who follow this path have to depend on self-effort. Puṣtimārga is the path of devotion categorized as ‘puṣṭi’.

‘Puṣṭi’ literally means ‘nourishment’. It means the special spiritual nourishment that a sādhaka gets when God’s grace descends on him. It has nothing to do with the fattening of the body with nourishing food, as some epicureans want us to believe. In this path, the jīva on whom the grace of God falls, is called ‘puṣṭi’. He is the one whom God has accepted as his own. These jīvas have an innate and unconditional love and attachment to him. That love is actually a reflection of the light of divine favor and fervor on that blessed soul.

Well-known scriptures on bhakti or devotion advocate navavidha-bhakti or ninefold devotion. They are:

  1. Śravaṇa - listening to the stories of God in his various aspects of avatāras
  2. Kīrtana - singing his names and glories
  3. Smaraṇa - remembering him constantly
  4. Pādasevanā - serving the feet of his images
  5. Arcana - ritualistic worship
  6. Vandana - obeisance to him
  7. Dāsya - cultivating the attitude that one is his servant
  8. Sakhya - an attitude of friendship towards him


References[edit]

  1. ↑ He lived in A.D. 1473-1531.
  2. ↑ Śravaṇa means the listening to the glories of God.
  3. ↑ Kirtana means singing devotional songs.
  4. ↑ Arcana means worship.
  5. ↑ Jīvas means the souls.
  6. ↑ Sādhakas means aspirants.
  • 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=Puṣṭimārgā&oldid=116245"