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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.


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Pīṭha

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Pīṭha literally means ‘seat’.

In a general sense, it means a thing upon which one sits. However, in a technical sense, it indicates the pedestal of an icon.

Pīṭha

The shape and the size of a pīṭha depend upon the style of the temple such as nāgara, vesara or drāviḍa and also the posture of the image. It is square for a seated[1] image. It can be rectangular or circular or even oval, if the image is in the sthānaka[2] pose.

Pīṭha

The height of the image may be 12 aṅgulas or just 7. In the case of Śivaliṅgas, it should be 4 or 5 times the diameter of the cylindrical shaft. Iconographical works describe pīthas of several designs such as bhadrapīṭha or padmapīṭha which give enough scope to the sculptor to exhibit his skills. The word pīṭha is sometimes used to indicate a Śaktipīṭha, a place of pilgrimage connected with Śakti or Mother-goddess. If it is used as a suffix, it gives different meanings. For example:

  1. Balipīṭha - sacrificial altar
  2. Śāradāpitha - the monastic center of Advaita Vedānta at Śṛṅgerī, Karnataka
  3. Others


References[edit]

  1. ↑ Seated image is called āsīna.
  2. ↑ Sthānaka means standing.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

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