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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.


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Punarādheya

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Punarādheya literally means ‘re-installation of Vedic fires’.

Punarādheya Definition[edit]

During the Vedic and the epic periods, many dvijas[1] used to establish the Vedic fires for regular oblations and special sacrifices. If the Vedic fires got extinguished due to certain contingencies like illness, loss of wealth, death of near and dear ones or harassment by enemies or even by accident, they could be rekindled or reinstated. This process was known as punarādheya or punarādhāna.

Process of Punarādheya[edit]

The procedure was essentially the same as for agnyādhāna, but with a few differences like feeding the fire with kuśa grass[2] instead of samidh[3] and offerings to Agni alone instead of Agni and Soma. In case both the gārhapatya and the āhavanīya fires had been extinguished punarādheya was considered a prāyaścitta or expiation for the sin also.


References[edit]

  1. ↑ Dvijas means the twice-born class or the members of the first three varṇas.
  2. ↑ It's scientific name is Poa cynosuroides.
  3. ↑ Samidh means fuel sticks.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

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