The Carson City Board of Supervisors meeting on Thursday began with the ancient Gayatri Mantra, considered the most sacred mantra of Hinduism.
Hindu statesman Rajan Zed delivered the invocation from ancient Sanskrit scriptures. 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’s 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.
Wearing saffron colored attire, a ruddraksh mala (rosary), and traditional sandalpaste tilak (religious mark) on the forehead, Zed sprinkled drops of water from river Ganga of India, considered holy by Hindus, in the room before the prayer. Mayor Bob Crowell introduced Zed, who earlier presented Crowell a booklet about Lord Krishna.
Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad, Zed said “Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor mamrtam gamaya”; which he then interpreted as “Lead us from the unreal to the real, Lead us from darkness to light, and Lead us from death to immortality.”
Reciting from Bhagavad-Gita, he urged supervisors and others to keep the welfare of others always in mind.