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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.

Naiskarmya

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Naiskarmya literally means ‘state of absence of all karmas or rituals and actions’.

This is a technical term generally favored by the Advaita Vedānta system. In effect, it means the state of jīvanmukti or liberation even while living in this body. Performing karmas[1] whether as a matter of duty or because they have been prescribed by the scriptures, is possible only as long as a person is able to see duality brought about by avidyā or nescience.

When avidyā is destroyed by ātmajñāna[2] and the whole world including oneself is perceived as the one indivisible pure consciousness which is sat-cit-ānanda and there is absolutely no scope or possibility of performing any karma at all. This state of mind of the man of realization is called ‘naiṣkarmya’ or ‘naiṣkarmyabhāva’.

However, it should not be forgotten that performing all actions ordained by the scriptures with the right attitude leads to cittaśuddhi or purification of mind. It is only the person endowed with such purity of mind that is fit for practicing jñāna, ultimately resulting in the destruction of avidyā which then confers the state of naiskarmya.


References[edit]

  1. ↑ They are the actions or rituals.
  2. ↑ Ātmajñāna means the knowledge or direct experience of the ātman, the Self.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

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