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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.

Niṣkramaṇa

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Niṣkramaṇa literally means ‘going out,’ ‘taking the baby outside the house’.

The entire life of a person is closely connected with religious rites and ceremonies in some form or the other. The Soḍaśa-sanskāras[1] reflect this basic attitude. The niṣkramaṇa or upaniṣkramaṇa is one of the minor sanskāras and is performed by taking the new-born baby out of the house in the open and exposing it to the sunlight. It may be done either on the twelfth day or in the fourth month.

Worshiping the sun by the father of the baby with an offering prepared out of milk and presenting the baby to the sun with some Vedic mantras[2] is an important part of this ritual. Some gṛhyasutras prescribe the performance of a homa also. In some works like those of Gobhila and Khādira, only candradarśana[3] to the baby is mentioned.


References[edit]

  1. ↑ Soḍaśa-sanskāras means sixteen sacraments.
  2. ↑ Ṛgveda 1.50.1
  3. ↑ Candradarśana means showing the moon on a full-moon day.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore


By Swami Harshananda

Niṣpatti-avasthā literally means ‘state of consummation of prāṇāyāma’.

Prāṇāyāma is a part of yogic practices. It helps in controlling the mind and restoring the humors to a balanced state to regain health, by a systematic control of breath. It has four states out of which the niṣpatti-avasthā is the last. It is the consummation of prāṇāyāma coinciding with the jīvanmukti state. The actual methods have to be learnt from a competent teacher.


References[edit]

  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

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