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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.

Svadhā

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshanada

Svadhā or Svadhādevī was one of the daughters of Dakṣaprajāpati. She had been married to the seven pitṛs or manes:

  1. Agniṣvāttas
  2. Barhiṣadas
  3. Somapās
  4. Yama
  5. Anala
  6. Soma
  7. Aryaman

The food that is offered to them in śrāddhas should be accompanied by the mantra ‘svadhā’. Then only they can get the same. Obviously this is a symbolical concept. When the mantra ‘svadhā’ is uttered while offering the piṇḍas,[1] it will induce the necessary power into them so as to be received by the pitṛs.[2]


References[edit]

  1. ↑ Piṇḍas means rice-balls.
  2. ↑ Pitṛs means the souls of the dead ancestors.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

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Deval Sancheti

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