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.

Aurva

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Aurva literally means ‘born from the thigh’.

He was the son of the sage Cyavana[1] and Āruṣi.[2] He was called as Aurva as he was born from the uru or the thigh of his mother.

Once, the kṣattriyas belonging to the race of Kārtavīryārjuna were harassing the ṛṣis who were descendants of Bhṛigu, including the womenfolk. Due to this tension and fear, the foetus in the womb of Āruṣi slipped into her thigh and was born out of it. The child, ṛṣi Aurva, stared at the marauders making them blind. They regained their sight by praying to the child-sage.

Later on, the sage Aurva engaged himself in a sacrifice to destroy the followers of Kārtavīryārjuna. He was however dissuaded from doing so. In this process Aurva discharged his anger into the sea, in the form of a horse. This submarine fire came to be known as ‘Vaḍavāgni.’ Aurva had two children :

  1. Rcīka (son)
  2. Kandalī (daughter)


References[edit]

  1. A descendant of Bhṛigu
  2. Daughter of Manu
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore