AUSPICIOUS OPENINGS

Just before the Dos Palos City Council Hindu invocation, from left to right, are— CEO Darrell Fonseca, Police Chief Barry Mann, Council member Michael McGlynn, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, Councilmember Alice Thompson, Councilmember John Gamboni, City Clerk Andrew Montez and City Attorney Edward Amaral

In August, the President of the Universal Society of Hinduism, Mr Zed delivered the invocation by way of Hindu Prayers from ancient Sanskrit scriptures before the councils of Dos Palos City, Hanford City and Plymouth City, and the County Board of Madera, all in California.

At Dos Palos City, wearing a saffron coloured attire, a ruddraksh mala (rosary), and traditional sandal-paste tilak on the forehead, Zed sprinkled few drops of water from river Ganga of India, considered holy by Hindus, around the podium before the Prayer. “It is a historic moment of pride for the community when the Prayers from ancient Sanskrit scriptures are being read in this great hall of democracy of this great city of Dos Palos”, Mr Zed stated before starting the invocation.

In the next few months, he will be delivering invocations at city councils and county boards at Suisun, Wasco, Shafter, Gilroy, Chico, Anaheim, Santee, Cerritos, Downey, Paso Robles, Fairfield, Merced and Reedley. Mr Zed has already read this year Hindu Prayers before the California city councils of San Jose, Lemoore, Live Oak, Tracy, Waterford, Hughson, Exeter, Anderson, Tulare, Oakdale, Redding and Hanford, and the Nevada Assembly and in 2012 at Nevada Assembly and Sparks City Council in Nevada.

After Sanskrit delivery, Mr Zed reads out the English translation of the Prayer. Sanskrit is considered a sacred language in Hinduism and root language of Indo-European languages. Mr Zed will recite from Rig-Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, besides lines from Upanishads and Bhagvad Gita (Song of the Lord), both ancient Hindu scriptures. Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad, Mr Zed plans to say “Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor mamrtam gamaya” which he will then translate 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 proposes to urge council members and supervisors to keep the welfare of others always in mind.

He plans to start and end the Prayer with “Om”, the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work.

August 2013