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.

California’s Waterford City Council opening with Hindu prayer

California’s Waterford City Council opening with Hindu prayer.

Waterford City Council in California (USA) will start its day with Hindu invocation on February seven, containing verses from world’s oldest existing scripture.

Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed will deliver the invocation from ancient Sanskrit scriptures before the City Council. After Sanskrit delivery, he then will 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, will recite from Rig-Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, besides lines from Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), both ancient Hindu scriptures. 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.
Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad, Rajan 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 councilmembers to keep the welfare of others always in mind.

Zed is a global Hindu and interfaith leader, who besides taking up the cause of religion worldwide, has also raised huge voice against the apartheid faced by about 15-million Roma (Gypsies) in Europe. Bestowed with World Interfaith Leader Award; Zed is Senior Fellow and Religious Advisor to Foundation for Religious Diplomacy, Spiritual Advisor to National Association of Interchurch & Interfaith Families, etc.

Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. There are about three million Hindus in USA.

Incorporated in 1969, Waterford, whose tagline is "Gateway to Recreation", is situated around Tuolumne River. Charlie Goeken, Jose Aldaco and Tim Ogden are Mayor, Vice-Mayor and City Manager respectively.

California Declares October as Month for Hindu Awareness

It was a historic moment for California’s Hindu American community, when the senate floor at the Capitol unanimously passed the resolution on Monday designating October 2013 as Hindu American awareness and appreciation month.

The bill was authored by state Senate Majority Leader Ellen M Corbett, who said, “As the senator representing the 10th state senate district, I am honoured to represent constituents from many diverse backgrounds including a significant number of Hindu Americans” She said California is home to a thriving community of over 3,70,000 Hindu Americans that enrich “our state’s diversity and professional assets in fields as diverse as academia, science, technology, business, arts and literature”. She thanked her colleagues for supporting the bill that recognises the contributions of Hindu Americans as well as designates October 2013 in their honour.

“It’s great to see that the contribution the Indo-American community is making is now being recognised at the highest levels of the state,” Ro Khanna, former deputy assistant secretary at the US department of commerce in the Obama administration and 2014 Congressional candidate from California district 17 told rediff.com. He said that the Indo-American community was contributing to the economy by creating jobs in California, through entrepreneurship and innovation.

According to Khanna, about 105 people along with various interfaith groups were present at the Capitol on Monday. “I am very proud to see that the community believes in religious pluralism. I am running from the 17th Congressional district and I am fortunate to have people of strong faiths from different backgrounds that make our state and country stronger. I am a big believer in religious pluralism and also that people of various faiths should have a voice in public debate. “

“I am a proud American and like an American I think all different faiths should be respected,” he added. Answering a question on why it took so long for the state to recognise the Hindu community, Khanna said it takes a community’s decades of involvement. “It takes a decade to start and to establish a political voice.”

“This is the first time any resolution recognising Hindus has ever been passed in the entire country,” said Samir Kalra, director and senior fellow for human rights, Hindu American Foundation. “It is the beginning of the great movement for Hindu Americans in California” Kalra told rediff.com. “It was historic, so it feels great.” He said today it’s at the state level and hopes one day it will reach at the national level.

Kalra said the Foundation helped draft the bill and the measure would “recognise and acknowledge the significant contributions made by Californians of Hindu heritage to the state.”

Starting October, the HAF will work with the City Hall in California and schools and help them commemorate the event by hosting educational actives and teach and create awareness about Hinduism in general. “The HAF is doing this for next generation, so that they feel proud about their culture.”

source

California Hindu Textbook Controversy
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