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.

Purṇakumbha

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Purṇakumbha literally means ‘pot filled with water’.

A purṇakumbha is a sacred symbol of prosperity. Other names for the same are:

  1. Purṇaghaṭa
  2. Purṇakalaśa

It is a part and parcel of many rituals since it indicates auspiciousness. It is prepared by filling up a pot of silver or copper with water, to which may be added certain scents, and the mouth covered with mango leaves and a coconut. When an important guest or an invitee for a sacred function arrives, he is to be received with purṇakumbha accompanied by the chanting of Vedic mantras that generally include the śāntimantras and selected portions from the Upaniṣads. Sculptural representations of purṇakumbha are frequently seen in the temples from very early times. They are shown on the walls and pillars in a variety of decorative arrangements.


References[edit]

  • 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=Purṇakumbha&oldid=135456"