Historic first Hindu prayer opened Fresno City Council meet in California

Adhik Vaishakh Amavasya Nij Vaishakh Pratipada Kaliyug Varsha 5112

From our correspoondent:

City Council of Fresno, the largest inland city in California, reverberated with Sanskrit mantras from ancient Hindu scriptures on May 13 reportedly for the first time since it was incorporated in 1885.

Fresno Council President Larry Westerlund (left) with Hindu leader Rajan Zed in City Council Chamber

 
Rajan Zed, acclaimed Hindu statesman,delivered invocation from Sanskrit scriptures before Fresno City Council on this day. After Sanskrit delivery, he read the English translation of the prayer. Sanskrit is considered to be a sacred language in Hinduism and root language of Indo-European languages.
 
Zed, who is the president of Universal Society of Hinduism, recited from Rig-Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, besides lines from Upanishadas and Bhagavad-Gita(Song of the Lord), both ancient Hindu scriptures. He started and ended the prayer with “Om”, the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work.
 
Council President Larry Westerlund and Council Member Henry T. Perea (who invited Zed) thanked Zed. Council members, employees and public stood quietly in prayer mode with heads bowed down during the prayer. Wearing saffron colored attire, a ruddraksh mala (rosary), and traditional sandal paste tilak(religious mark) on the forehead, Zed said before the prayer: “This is a day of honor for us when wisdom from ancient Sanskrit scriptures is being read in this great hall of democracy of great city of Fresno.”
 
Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad,Rajan Zed said “Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrityor mamritamgamaya”, which he then translated as “Lead me from the unreal to the Real, Lead me from darkness to Light, and Lead me from death to Immortality.” Reciting from Bhagavad-Gita,he urged Councilors to keep the welfare of others always in mind.
 
Zed is one of the panelists for “On Faith”, aprestigious interactive conversation on religion produced jointly by Newsweekand washingtonpost.com. He has been awarded “World Interfaith Leader Award” by National Association of Interchurch and Interfaith Families.
 
Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. Fresno, which boasts of over 300 days of sunshine each year, is the birthplace of Pulitzer Prize winning playwright William Saroyan, billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, Golden Globe winner actor Mike Connors(Mannix), and dancer-rapper-actor Kevin Federline. Ashley Swearengin is the Mayor.

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