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:Avadhuta

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Avadhuta literally means ‘one who has shaken off worldly bonds’.

Significance[edit]

The word ‘avadhuta’ is often used to refer to a type of perfect man ‘paramhansa’, or ‘ativarṇāśramin’ who has had twenty four teachers[1]. These include the pañcabhutas, or the five elements, animals like elephant and deer, and human beings like a maiden and a child. The avadhuta is said to have learned lessons from each of them through careful observations. Avadhutas are said to have based their practices on the tantras.

Characteristics[edit]

The Avadhutagitā, a work ascribed to Avadhuta Dattātreya, provides a description of the characteristics of an avadhuta, based on its constituent four syllables : a, va, dhu and ta[2].

Avadhuta Dattātreya has also been mentioned in several Upaniṣads. An Avadhuta is mentioned to be free from worldly desires, always pure, and perpetually in bliss. His speech is faultless and he is not conscious of his own body. His mind is constantly absorbed in Brahman and hence he needs not practice meditation. He is completely free from egoism and ignorance.

Appearance[edit]

The term ‘avadhuta’ is applied to the senior Nāgā sādhus of the daśanāmī orders, living in holy places such as Rishikesh. They can sometimes be naked, wear matted hair and necklaces of rudrākṣa beads or bones. They are indifferent to rules of observances found in other monastic or religious orders. Some notable types of avadhutas are:

  1. Brahma-avadhuta
  2. Śiva-avadhuta
  3. Bhakta-avadhuta
  4. Hariśa-avadhuta

In this context, female ascetics are also known to exist, and are called 'avadhutānis.’

References[edit]

  1. Bhāgavata skandha 11, chapters, 7, 8 and 9
  2. Avadhutagita 8.5-9
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore