Nevada (US), July 6 (ANI): The City Councils of South Jordan and Draper in Utah (USA) reverberated with Sanskrit mantras from ancient Hindu scriptures on July 5 evening.
Esteemed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed delivered invocation from Sanskrit scriptures before Draper and South Jordan City Councils on this day. 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, 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. Om was followed by Gayatri Mantra, the most sacred mantra in Hinduism.
City Council members, City employees, and public stood quietly in prayer mode with heads bowed down during the prayer. Wearing saffron colored attire, a ruddraksh mala (rosary), and traditional sandalpaste tilak (religious mark) on the forehead, Zed sprinkled few drops of sacred water from river Ganga in India around the podium before the prayers. He presented copies of Bhagavad-Gita to Mayor W. Kent Money (South Jordan) and Mayor Darrell H. Smith (Draper).
Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad, Zed said 'Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor mamrtam gamaya', which he then translated 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 urged Councilmembers to keep the welfare of others always in mind.
"This is a day of honor for the community when wisdom from ancient Sanskrit scriptures is being read in this great hall of democracy of great city", Zed said before the invocations after respective mayors introduced him.
South Jordan Councilmember Leona Winger and Draper City Manager Layne Long thanked Zed for the prayer.
Zed is one of the panelists for "On Faith", a prestigious interactive conversation on religion produced by The Washington Post. He has been awarded "World Interfaith Leader Award" and is Senior Fellow and Religious Advisor to New York headquartered Foundation for Interreligious Diplomacy, Director of Interfaith Relations of Nevada Clergy Association, Spiritual Advisor to National Association of Interchurch and Interfaith Families, etc.
South Jordan, established in 1859, is the first city in the world with two Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) temples. Prominent persons associated with South Jordan include speed-skater Apolo Anton Ohno, archer Denise Parker, and sculptor Edward J. Fraughton. Settled in 1849, Draper is claimed to be one of the world's best paragliding/hang-gliding spots. Utah houses world headquarters of LDS.
Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. (ANI)
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