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.

Mahāvedi

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Mahāvedi literally means ‘the great altar’.

Somayāgas are the Vedic sacrifices wherein the oblation of the soma juice is the most important rite. It needs a lot of space, time and preparation. A special vedi (altar or platform) has to be constructed for performing them. This altar is called ‘mahāvedi’.

It is laid out to the east of the usual place of the gārhapatya and āhavanīya fires. It is a trapezium measuring 36 steps east to west, 30 (or 33) steps north to south on the west and 24 steps north to south on the east. The area is marked by driving pegs on the ground at the appropriate places. It contains many places specially marked or reserved for various priests and objects used in the sacrifice.


References[edit]

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

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