|
|
| February 19, 2010 | Historic Hindu prayer opened Nevada's capital Carson City meet for first time since 1858 | |
Nevada (US):Board of Supervisors of Nevada's capital Carson City in USA reverberated with Sanskrit mantras from ancient Hindu scriptures reportedly for the first time on February 18. Rajan Zed, acclaimed Hindu statesman, delivered invocation from Sanskrit scriptures before Carson City Board of Supervisors on February 18. After Sanskrit delivery, he then
read the English translation of the prayer. Sanskrit is considered 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, dated from around 1,500 BCE, besides lines from
Upanishads 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.
Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad, Rajan Zed said, "Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso
ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor mamrtam gamaya", which he then translated as, "Lead us
from the unreal to the Real, Lead us from darkness to Light, Lead us from death
to Immortality." Reciting from Bhagavad-Gita, he urged Members to keep the welfare
of others always in mind. Mayor Bow Crowell welcomed Zed. Rajan Zed is one of
the panelists for "On Faith", a prestigious interactive conversation on religion
produced jointly by Newsweek and 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. Carson City,
spread out in about 153 square miles of area, was founded in 1858. Although only
nine state capitals have smaller populations than Carson City, but when it comes
to area, it is one of the largest state capitals in USA. Associated with author
and humorist Mark Twain, Carson City is also known for the legends of prehistoric
human footprints, mystery of the Ferris wheel, State Capitol fence myth, Great
Carson City stagecoach robbery, ghost stories, and one of the oldest Capitol building
(1870). Its vision is an "inviting, prosperous community where people live, work
and play." |
|
|
|
Visit Indian Travel Sites
Goa,
Kerala,
Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh,
Delhi,
Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh,
Assam,
Sikkim,
Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh,
Jammu & Kashmir
Gujarat
Puducherry
|
