Colonial Discourse and the Suffering of Indian American Children is now freely available.
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.

Nivita

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Nivita literally means ‘hanging below’.

Upanayāna Ceremony[edit]

Men of the dvija group[1] were expected to wear the yajñopavīta[2] always after undergoing the sacrament of upanayāna.

Modes of Wearing Yajñopavīta[edit]

There are three ways of wearing the yajñopavīta. They are:

  1. Upavīta - In this the thread rests on the left shoulder, but hangs below the right arm. This is the most common fashion of wearing it.
  2. Prācīnāvīta - It is exactly the reverse, the thread is supported on the right shoulder, but hangs below the left arm. This mode is used while conducting the rites for the pitṛs or manes as in a śrāddha or obsequal ceremony.
  3. Nivīta - In this it hangs from the neck like a necklace or a garland.

However, it should be held in such a way that it is above the navel.

Reasons of Wearing Nivīta[edit]

The nivīta mode is adopted in rites like ṛṣitarpaṇa,[3] conducting certain sacraments for one’s children, carrying the dead body of a deceased person and other rites connected with human beings only.


References[edit]

  1. ↑ Dvija means the ‘twice born’ class, the men of the first three castes.
  2. ↑ Yajñopavīta means the sacred thread.
  3. ↑ Rṣitarpaṇa means offering oblations to the sages.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

Contributors to this article

Deval Sancheti

Explore Other Articles

Retrieved from "https://hindupedia.com/index.php?title=Nivita&oldid=135199"