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.

Talk:Akṣrābhyāsa

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Jammlamadaka Srinivas

Sometimes transliterated as: Aksharaabhyaasa, Aksharabhyasa


Akṣrābhyāsa is a small saṃskāra performed at the age of five to start education of the child. The apt time for akṣrābhyāsa is prescribed to be some auspicious day other than the tithis like Ṣaṣṭhī, Aṣṭamī, Pratipad, Amāvāsya and Pourṇamī in Uttarāyaṇa.

Prāpte tu paṃchame varṣe hyaprasupte janārdane| ṣaṣṭhīm pratipadam chaiva varjayitvā tathāṣṭamīṃ|| riktām paṃchadaśīm chaiva saurabhaumadine tathā| evam suniśichite kāle vidyarambham tu kārayet||[1]

It is instructed to worship Hari, Lakṣmī, Sarasvatī, the preceptors of the school of thought[2] in which the child is being introduced and the school of thought[3] itself.

After the worship of Guru[4], one should start the desired Vidyā. At this time the Guru should sit facing east and the Śiṣya[5] should sit facing west i.e. both the student and teacher should be facing one another.

Pūjayitvā harim lakṣmīm devīm chaiva sarasvatīm| svavidyāsūtrakāraṃścha svām vidyām ca viśeṣataḥ|| Prāngmukho gururāsīno vāruṇbimukham śiśuṃ| adhyāpayettu prathamam dvijāśīrbhiḥ supūjitaṃ||[6]


References[edit]

  1. ↑ mārkaṇḍeya smṛti, smṛti muktāphala, p.84
  2. ↑ It means Vidyapravartaka.
  3. ↑ It means Vidya in which the child is being introduced.
  4. ↑ It means teacher.
  5. ↑ It means student.
  6. ↑ Mārkaṇḍeya smṛti, smṛti muktāphala, p.85
Retrieved from "https://hindupedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Akṣrābhyāsa&oldid=126807"