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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.

Pratigāra

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Pratigāra literally means ‘response’.

A Vedic sacrifice involves several rites and minor rites including the chanting of certain classes of śastras. The hotṛ priest issues a called as āhāva to which the adhvaryu priest responds by loudly uttering the pratigāra.[1]

There are several āhāvas for which there are appropriate pratigāras also. For instance:

For the āhāva it is “Som 3 sāvo3m” which means “Let us both praise!”

The pratigāra for the above statement is

“Othamo daivā” or “Somsāmo daivā” which means “Let us praise the deity!”.

In course of time the two seem to have acquired a mystical significance. Several permutations and combinations were evolved because of this.


References[edit]

  1. Pratigāra means reply or response.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

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