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Seaside City Council in California (USA), incorporated in 1954, will launch its day with Hindu prayers on August 16, containing verses from world’s oldest existing scripture.

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.

City of Seaside, one of whose goal is "enhance engagement with the public" and which claims to be "internationally recognized tourist destination", is home to California State University—Monterey Bay, Message Mountain and Monterey College of Law. Prominent people associated with it include football analyst Herman Edwards Junior, fashion designer Rachel Roy and footballers Mason Foster and Tony Curtis. Felix Bachofner, Steve Bloomer and John Dunn are Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and Interim City Manager respectively.

Hindus hail Russian prosecutors’ statement of not seeking Bhagavad Gita ban

Hindus have welcomed the reported statement of Russian prosecutors of not disputing the rejection by Tomsk regional court in Siberia (Russia) of proposed move to ban their ancient scripture Bhagavad Gita (Song of the Lord).

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that it was a “step in the right direction”.

According to a Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI) report published on August 14, Tomsk Region Prosecutor Vasily Voykin said “the prosecutor’s office would not be disputing the decision of the regional court”. Tomsk Region Prosecutor’s Office reportedly initiated the case in June 2011 and in March last; Tomsk regional court reportedly reaffirmed the December 2011 lower court ruling of proposed Bhagavad Gita ban rejection.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, thanked the Prosecutor’s Office for this reported decision saying that it was a right and sensible move befitting a democratic, open-minded and pluralistic society.

Rajan Zed said that Bhagavad Gita was one of the holiest scriptures of Hinduism and banning it would have deeply hurt the devotees. Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about one billion adherents and rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken lightly. No faith, larger or smaller, should be maltreated, Zed argued.

Zed noted that attempt at banning Bhagavad Gita was apparently an attack on religious freedom and belittling of the entire community.

Rajan Zed stressed that this philosophical and intensely spiritual poem, often considered the epitome of Hinduism, was highly revered by Hindus. Besides being the cornerstone of Hindu faith, Bhagavad Gita was also one of the masterpieces of Sanskrit poetry and a world treasure and had been commented by hundreds of authors and translated into all major languages of the world.

It was a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, just before the beginning of the great Mahabharata war, in which Lord Krishna gave spiritual enlightenment to the warrior Arjuna, who realized that the true battle was for his own soul. Its 700 verses in 18 chapters considered the nature of action, the religious and social duty, the human relationship to God, the means of liberation, and the nature of sacrifice, etc., Zed stated.

Established in 1604, Tomsk, one of the oldest towns in Siberia, is a major center for Russia’s IT industry and houses Siberia’s oldest university Tomsk State University.

Bishop City Council in California opened with Hindu prayers 1st time

Bishop City Council in California (USA), incorporated in 1903, had its first Hindu invocation on August 13 evening, containing verses from world’s oldest existing scripture.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed delivered the invocation from ancient Sanskrit scriptures before the City Council. 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 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.

Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad, Rajan 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. Councilmembers, city employees and public were seen standing in prayer mode with their heads bowed down during this invocation.

Wearing saffron colored attire, a ruddraksh mala (rosary), and traditional sandalpaste tilak (religious mark) on the forehead, Zed sprinkled few drops of water from river Ganga of India, considered holy by Hindus, around the podium before the prayer. Mayor David Stottlemyre introduced Zed. “I am thankful to the City of Bishop for this historical opportunity of prayer, and I am grateful to the community for the support and love they have shown”, Zed stated before starting the invocation. As an interfaith gesture, Zed also had a meeting with Rick Klug, Secretary of Bishop Ministerial Association and Lead Pastor of local Calvary Baptist Church.

Rajan 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.

Known as the "Mule Capital of the World", Bishop is popular for its Mule Days Celebration and among rock climbers. Notable people associated with Bishop include sound effects developer Jack Foley, NASCAR driver Stanton Barrett, baseball player Matt Williams and actor Trevor Donovan. Susan Cullen, Robert Kimball and Keith Caldwell are Mayor Pro Tempore, Treasurer and Administrator respectively of City of Bishop.