Colonial Discourse and the Suffering of Indian American Children Book Cover.webp

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.

Ṛtambharaprajñā

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Ṛtambharaprajñā literally means ‘truth-bearing consciousness’.

The Yogasutras of Patañjali[1] is the most systematic and basic work of psychology which deals with the characteristics of a healthy mind. While dealing with samādhi or the super-conscious state of mind, Patañjali has used the word ‘ṛtambharaprajñā’.[2]

Ṛtambharaprajñā, Definition[edit]

When the mind of the yogi[3] is rid of the impurities of rajas and tamas, it learns to flow unhindered, culminating the experience of the puruṣa or the ātman.[4] When such a mind is directed towards any object, it can give a direct and clear knowledge of that object untainted and unhindered. Hence it is called ṛtambharaprajñā. It refers to the knowledge that is full of the true nature of that object. The samādhi state in which this occurs is called ‘dharmamegha-samādhi’.


References[edit]

  1. Patañjali lived in 200 B.C.
  2. Yogasutras 1.48
  3. Yogi means the one who is practicing meditation as per the directions given by Patañjali.
  4. Ātman means the Self.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore