California Senate opened with Hindu prayer for first time in - U.S.A

Sacramento, California, 29 August:
California State Senate here heard its first Hindu opening prayer on Monday in its 157 years history, when famous Hindu chaplain, Rajan Zed, recited Gayatri and other ancient Sanskrit mantras.

Starting with "Om", the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work, he read from Rig-Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, dated from around 1,500 BCE. He also delivered from Brahadaranyakopnisad, Taittiriya Upanisad, and Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), all ancient Hindu scriptures. He ended the prayer with last mantra of Rig-Veda, "samani va akutih", before concluding with "Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti", which he then translated as "Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all".Hindu Chaplain Rajan Zed starting with "Om", the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work, he read from Rig-Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, dated from around 1,500 BCE.
Hindu Chaplain Rajan Zed starting with "Om", the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work, he read from Rig-Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, dated from around 1,500 BCE.

Before starting the prayer, he sprinkled Gangajal (holy water from river Ganga in India) on the podium, which is traditional in Hindu worship.

Wearing saffron colored attire, a ruddraksh mala (rosary), and traditional sandalpaste tilak (religious mark) on the forehead, Zed, after reciting the original lines in Sanskrit, then read the English translation of the verses. Sanskrit is considered a sacred language in Hinduism and root language of all Indo-European languages. Full text of the prayer will be recorded in the Daily Journal of the Senate, which is a permanent public record.

Reverend Canon James D. Richardson, Chaplain of California State Senate, introduced Rajan Zed while Don Perata, Senate President pro Tem; Senator Christine Kehoe (San Jose) and Senator Elaine Alquist (San Diego) personally welcomed him. 

One of the paragraphs of this Hindu prayer read in Sanskrit was "Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrityor mamrtam gamaya", which was translated in English as "Lead me from the unreal to the Real, Lead me from darkness to Light, Lead me from death to immortality."

Zed was accompanied to the California Senate by his community volunteer wife Shipa Zed; son Navgeet Zed, recipient of Nevada Peacemaker of the Year award; and a group of other supporters, including Jassi Cheema, Paradhyeya Das, Chaitanya Dasi, etc., many of whom came out of town.

"This day of August 27, 2007, is an esteemed day for all Californians and momentous day for us when opening prayers from ancient Hindu scriptures are being read in this majestic hall of democracy," Zed remarked.

Rajan Zed, affiliated with World Congress of Faiths-London and listed in "Who's Who in America" 2006, volunteers as a chaplain in various hospitals, serves on various Boards of Directors, and is very active in interfaith dialogue. He created history on July 12 last when he opened the United States Senate session in Washington DC with Hindu prayer for the first time in its 218 years history. City of Reno issued him a proclamation and he received various honors from different organizations in this country and abroad.

Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has no datable beginning but some scholars put it around 3,000 BCE. It has no founder, no one authoritative figure, and no single prophet or holy book. One of its scriptures, Mahabharata, is the longest poem ever written, comprising over 100,000 couplets. Hinduism in North America was introduced in 1830s with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau studying Hindu scriptures like Upanisads and Bhagavad-Gita. Vivekananda made a strong impression at World's Parliament of Religion in Chicago in 1893 and he then founded Vedanta Society. Protap Chunder Mozoomdar of Brahmo Samaj delivered his first American address on September 02, 1883 in Concord, Massachusetts.

California ranks eighth in Gross Domestic Products in the world, higher than Canada, Spain, Russia, India, Australia, etc. California State Senate has 40 Senators, with each Senator representing 846, 791 Californians. Current Senate Chaplain Richardson, an Episcopal Priest, is the 47th chaplain since 1897, when this office began. Generally he offers the opening prayer but guest chaplains are also invited from time to time.

The prayers are offered to God on behalf of the Senate in recognition that our freedom and our abundance are gifts from God, according to Senate Chaplain Webpage.

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Hindus celebrate new temple in Salem - VIRGINIA - Roanoke valley-U.S.A

Religious leaders say the new mandir in Salem will be a hub for
 the Roanoke Valley’s Hindu community.

Children danced through the streets of Salem on Sunday morning as the Hindu community celebrated the installation of a new mandir, or Hindu temple.

It will be the second such temple in the Roanoke Valley, but the first of the BAPS denomination, in which devotees follow the teachings of Bhagwan Swaminarayan .

Religious leaders say the new temple on Sheraton Drive won’t just give them a place to worship, it will serve as a hub for the Roanoke Valley’s Hindu community, which is made up of about 400 families.

Dharmendra Patel is an active member of the BAPS denomination and a Salem business owner. He said there aren’t many Indian immigrants in Southwest Virginia, so it can be a challenge for them to maintain their cultural identity.

“It will help people who immigrated from India — first-, second-generation kids — it will help them understand the culture, the religion, what we do,” he said. “Also it will give us a place to network with each other and make sure we maintain our customs.”

Roanoke’s and Salem’s mayors, Virginia lawmakers, national Hindu leaders and about 800 religious followers traveled from as far away as New Jersey to take part in the centuries-old tradition of installing a new temple.

The event began with an early-morning parade through downtown Salem. Floats carried several white marble statues of Hindu deities carved by hand in India. Participants, some dressed in traditional Indian clothes, danced a short loop that started by the court house. A few people came out of shops and houses along the way to watch.

Sadhus, or Hindu priests, said the 4-foot-tall marble figurines were made in the image of God. They were carried through the streets so they can be introduced to the city and bless local residents.

After the parade, they were taken into the temple and placed in their permanent home at an altar.
Hindu followers then filled the room as they prayed and made offerings to God.

Most of the ceremony was in Sanskrit, the primary language of Hinduism, but interpreters explained they were inviting deities to enter the idols. By the time they were finished, almost an hour later, God was said to be alive inside the statues.

Coming from an Irish Catholic background, Roanoke Mayor David Bowers said he didn’t understand everything he saw on Sunday, but he enjoyed the opportunity to learn about a different religion.

YOUNGERS DANCES IN THIS POOJA

“It’s important, and it’s a good thing for us to have this sense of diversity and multiculturalism,” he said. “So I would say to the Christian community and the Jewish community, you ought to come and see and understand each other. It’s been a very interesting experience for me.”

Patel said Hindus believe in one god who has been reincarnated in several forms, which were represented by the statues in the parade Sunday morning.

Sadhu Yaynavallabh Das, who leads the BAPS sect of Hinduism in North America, said the service may seem awkward to strangers, but its purpose is similar to ones with which non-Hindus are more familiar .

“The rituals are different in different religions,” Yaynavallabh said. “But the objectives behind those traditions are to love God and express your love and dedication toward God.”

Source: http://www.roanoke.com/news/2127060-12/hindus-celebrate-new-temple-in-salem.html