Illinois’ Cook & Kane County boards & Rockford City Council opening with Hindu prayers

Meetings of Kane County Board, Cook County Board of Commissioners and Rockford City Council—all in Illinois (USA)—are opening with Hindu prayers on May 10, 11 & 16 respectively; containing verses from world’s oldest existing scripture.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed will deliver the invocation from ancient Hindu scriptures before the County boards and City Council, starting in Sanskrit with Gayatri Mantra, considered the most sacred mantra in Hinduism. 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: “Lead us from the unreal to the Real, Lead us from darkness to Light, Lead us from death to immortality.” Reciting from Bhagavad-Gita, he proposes to urge Board/Council members 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 conditions 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, and on Advisory Board of The Interfaith Peace Project, 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.

Chris Lauzen is the Board Chairman of Kane County, which is advocating for a future where “Kane County’s residents are the healthiest people in Illinois”. Toni R. Preckwinkle is Board President of Cook County, second most populous county in USA, which includes City of Chicago. Lawrence J. Morrissey is the Mayor of Rockford, the third largest city in Illinois.