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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.

Svayamācāryas

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Svayamācāryas literally means ‘self-appointed teachers’.

Ramānuja lived in A. D. 1017-1137. He did not appoint any single person as the next pontiff to succeed him. Instead, he selected 74 pious householder disciples and gave them the power to spread the philosophy of Viśiṣṭādvaita and the religion of Śrīvaiṣṇavism. These 74 came to be known as ‘svayamācāryas’.

Svayamācāryas were not only the great scholars but also great devotees committed to the Śrīvaiṣṇavism sect. They could grant pañcasanskāras and mantropadeśa[1] to the disciples. They were also expected to expound the scriptures according to Rāmānuja’s philosophy.


References[edit]

  1. ↑ Mantropadeśa means giving the famous mantras like the aṣṭākṣarī.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

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Deval Sancheti

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