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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.

Sadāchāra

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

Āchāra means the way we perform any act. In the context of customs and rituals, the source of knowing the right way to perform any custom or ritual is through the knowledge of Śruti and Smṛti. There is a saying “Ācārahīnaṃ na punanti vedāḥ" which means the one who does not perform the instructed ritual as per the Vedas. It is believed that if one wants to get the best result of the rituals performed, the rituals should be performed in the accordance with the guidelines prescribed in Vedas. This emphasizes the importance of Āchāra.

The prefix ‘sat’ to the word āchāra means the rituals or customs performed in accordance with the Śruti and Smṛti. The antonym of sadāchāra is durāchāra which means the ritual or custom that are not in accordance with the Śruti and smṛti. There may be different ways of performing the same ritual, according to the place that one belongs to. Hence, it is advised to perform the ritual or act according to the regional customs that are practiced by one’s ancestors.

Yasmin deśe ya ācāraḥ pāramparya kramāgatḥ | śrutismṛtyavirodhena sadācāraḥ sa ucyate ||[1]

Sadāchāra does not confine just to the extent of rituals but it also has equal significance in day to day life. It helps a person to develop discipline in one’s own life.


References[edit]

  1. ↑ Saṃskāramanjarī, smṛti muktāphalaṃ, p. no. 05

Contributors to this article

Deval Sancheti, JAMMALAMADAKA SRINIVAS

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