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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.

Tulāpuruṣa

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Tulāpuruṣa literally means ‘weighing a person in a balance against gold’.

Scriptures have always considered dāna or giving gifts to worthy and needy persons as an act of great religious merit. Gifts of certain kinds are called mahādānas or great gifts. Out of them the tulapuruṣa or tulābhāra is also the one. It consists mainly in weighing oneself against gold and distributing it to the guru, the priests and other worthy persons.

The whole procedure consists of religious rites like:

  1. Homa[1]
  2. Worshiping the tulā or the weighing scale specially set up
  3. Honoring the brāhmaṇas and poor and helpless people

Obviously only great kings could perform it. Gradually, weighing oneself against silver, camphor or other useful materials and donating them came into vogue. This practice is sometimes seen even now. Matsyapurāṇa[2] gives some interesting details.


References[edit]

  1. ↑ It means offering oblations into a duly consecrated fire
  2. ↑ Matsyapurāṇa Chapter 274
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

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