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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.

Saundaryalahari

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Saundaryalahari literally means ‘Wave of beauty’.

Apart from writing learned bhāṣyas or commentaries on recondite scriptures like the Upaniṣads and philosophical works like the Brahmasutras, Saṅkara[1] also composed a number of beautiful stotras or hymns on the various deities of the religious pantheon. The Saundaryalahari is one of his most famous hymns. According to the orthodox traditions, Śaṅkara got the first 41 verses from Kailāṣa, the abode of Śiva and composed another 59 to make the total of 100.

As per another version, Saṅkara as a child was breastfed by the Divine Mother[2] herself, because of which he gained great spiritual power as well as the power to compose poetry.[3] Though the first part comprising 41 verses is more commonly known as the Ānandalaharī and only the second part, the rest 59 verses, as the Saundaryalahari, the whole hymn is now generally called by the latter name. The specialty of this composition is that it reflects equally the three important aspects of the religion, viz:

  1. Vedānta
  2. Devotion to the deity through the hymn
  3. The esoteric science of the mantras and yantras[4]


References[edit]

  1. ↑ He lived in A. D. 788-820.
  2. ↑ His Divine mother was Tripurasundari.
  3. ↑ Saundaryalahari 74
  4. ↑ It is referred as mystic diagrams.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

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