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.

Manonmani

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Manonmani literally means ‘one who makes our mind eager to attain her’.

Significance of Goddess Manonmani[edit]

She is one of the aspects of the Divine Mother Pārvatī dear to Sadāśiva, more common in South India. She is worshiped for bhuti[1] and also for striking fear in the minds of enemies.

Representation of Manonmani[edit]

Iconographical works describe her in various ways. The most common description is that she is of the color of the moon with a benevolent appearance. She has four arms, holding a red and a blue lotus in two hands, the other two in varada and abhaya mudrās. Sometimes a rosary is shown instead of the blue lotus. Other works show her with five faces and ten arms carrying:

  1. Śula - spear
  2. Taṅka - hammer
  3. Pāśa - noose
  4. Ankuśa - goad
  5. Ghaṇṭā - bell
  6. Fire
  7. Lotuses

She may also be shown as surrounded by 46 Śaktis and an equal number of Kanyās.[2]


References[edit]

  1. Bhuti means prosperity.
  2. Kanyās means virgin-deities.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore