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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.

Pujābhāga

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Pujābhāga literally means ‘that part of the Śivaliṅga which can be worshiped’.

Śivaliṅgas may be cala[1] or acala.[2] The cala-liṅgas may be kept in the shrine of one’s own home for worship or prepared temporarily with materials like clay or dough etc., for worship and dispensed with after the worship or worn on the body as iṣṭaliṅga as the Vīraśaivas do. The acala liṅgas are those installed in temples. They are usually made of stone and have three parts. They are:

  • The lowest part which is square, is called Brahmabhāga and represents Brahmā the creator.
  • The middle part which is octagonal, is called Viṣṇubhāga and represents Viṣṇu, the sustainer. These two parts are embedded inside the pedestal.
  • The Rudrabhāga which is cylindrical and projects outside the pedestal is the one to which worship is offered. Hence it is called pujābhāga.

The pujābhāga also contains certain lines technically called Brahmasutra, without which the Liṅga becomes unfit for worship.


References[edit]

  1. ↑ Cala means movable.
  2. ↑ Acala means immovable.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

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