Maiden Hindu opening prayers in Ceres & Riverbank city councils of California

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Ceres and Riverbank city councils in California (USA) will reportedly have their first Hindu invocations on June 11, since these were incorporated in 1918 and 1922 respectively.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed will deliver invocation from ancient Sanskrit scriptures before these city councils. After Sanskrit delivery, he then will read the English translation of the prayers. 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 has been awarded “World Interfaith Leader Award” and is Senior Fellow and Religious Advisor to New York headquartered 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.

Named after Roman goddess of agriculture and touching Tuolumne River, Ceres is one of the California’s Central Valley’s richest and most diverse agricultural areas. Chris Vierra is the Mayor, while actress Holly Butler was born in Ceres. Riverbank, located along Stanislaus River, is the home of "Riverbank Cheese and Wine Exposition". Virginia Madueno is Mayor of Riverbank, whose official slogan is "The City of Action".