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.

Virāṭa

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Virāṭa was the king of Matsyadeśa and his capital was Virāṭanagari. Sudeṣṇā was his second wife and Uttarakumāra was his son from her. Uttarā was his daughter. When the Pāṇḍavas, after losing the game of dice, were banished, they had to spend twelve years in a forest and the thirteenth year was incognito. During this last year, they chose to live in the Virāṭanagari in disguise, as the employees of the king Virāṭa.

Once, Suśarmā, the king of Trigarta, attacked Virāṭanagari and captured the king Virāṭa. He was liberated by Bhīma[1] as per the command of Yudhiṣṭhira.[2]

Immediately after the one year period was over, when the Pāṇḍavas revealed their identity, Virāṭa was happy and offered his daughter Uttarā in marriage to Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna. Virāṭa joined the Pāṇḍava army in the Kurukṣetra battle, fought for them but was killed by Droṇa. Matsyadeśa has now been identified with the area around the modern Jaipur city in the state of Rajasthan.


References[edit]

  1. Bhīma was then known as Valvala working as a cook.
  2. Yudhiṣṭhira was then disguised as a recluse by name Kaṅka.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

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