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.

Mānasa-pratyaksa

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Mānasa-pratyaksa literally means ‘direct perception by the mind’.

Mānasa-Pratyaksa Definition[edit]

Perception of objects in order to get knowledge about them is an important topic discussed in the philosophical systems. Normally, the mind gets direct knowledge of an object through the five organs of knowledge or jñānendriyas. However, sometimes knowledge can arise in the mind directly also. For instance, when we see a rose from a distance, the mind can also comprehend its smell from previous experiences. This is called ‘mānasa-pratyakṣa’.

Mānasa-pratyaksa, as per Mīmānsā Philosophy[edit]

According to the Kumārila’s (CE 700) school of Mīmānsā philosophy, a person gets the knowledge of himself as the soul or Self different from the body directly in his mind as the “I” consciousness. This is termed as ‘mānasa- pratyakṣa’ by that school.

References[edit]

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