Ashadh Pournima
By Rajan Zed
Sanskrit shlokas (hymns) from ancient Hindu scriptures will open the two-day meeting of Nevada’s Board of Regents, which governs all public institutions of higher education in Nevada state of USA, enrolling over 105,000 students.
Acclaimed Hindu leader Rajan Zed will deliver this groundbreaking invocation on August seven in Reno from Rig Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, dated from around 1,500 BCE; besides lines from Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), both ancient Hindu scriptures.
Zed plans to sprinkle Gangajal (water of the holy river Ganga) before the invocation and start and end the prayer with "OM", the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work.
Regents govern institutions spread throughout the state including prestigious University of Nevada (Las Vegas and Reno) and Desert Research Institute. Michael B. Wixom is the Chair. Nevada is the fastest growing state of USA. Invocation is a form of prayer invoking God’s presence.
Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion followers. Moksha (liberation) is the ultimate goal of Hinduism.
