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.

Matsyendranātha

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

The Nātha sect is one of the more obscure religious sects of Śaivism which gives primary importance to the practice of Haṭhayoga and the attainment of occult powers. The guru-paramparā or the tradition of gurus has a long list of 84 siddhas or perfected beings. In this list, Matsyendranātha or Mīnanātha is shown as the founder and the first teacher. The second founder was Gorakṣanātha or Gorakhnāth.

According to other lists, Ādinātha or Śiva is the first teacher and Matsyendranātha is the second. He is said to have been born out of the womb of a matsya or mīna[1] as a perfected being. This was possible because he accidentally happened to listen to the teachings of Lord Śiva to Pārvatī while he was in the womb of his mother, a fish. Gorakṣanātha or Gorakhnāth was his chief disciple. However, the Bengali tradition treats it the other way making Gorakhnāth the teacher and Matsyendranāth as his chief disciple. Buddhist tradition in Nepal identifies him with Avalokiteśvara Padmapām. In Tibet, he is called Luipā.


References[edit]

  1. Mīna means fish.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore