Hindus feel that it is fine to display Ten Commandments in Louisiana public school classrooms, as long as posters carrying verses from ancient Sanskrit scripture Bhagavad-Gita ((Song of the Lord) are also displayed.
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, said that Bhagavad-Gita was a “historically significant document”, “recognized throughout the world” and was a “treasure that should be displayed in public school classrooms” in Louisiana in the form of posters carrying its verses. This sacred text was plainly the word of God spoken by Lord Krishna himself.
Hindu community would cover all the cost of creating-printing-mounting these easily readable posters (11″X14″) and no funding from the state or school districts or schools would be required; Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, indicated.
Various well-known Americans; including essayist-philosopher Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), theoretical physicist credited with being the “father of the atomic bomb” J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967), novelist-philosopher Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), essayist-poet Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), theoretical physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955), etc.; were reportedly influenced by Bhagavad-Gita. It had inspired, fascinated, touched and impacted millions of readers worldwide over the centuries; Rajan Zed noted.
This philosophical and intensely spiritual poem Bhagavad-Gita considers 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 adds.
Rajan Zed further said that awareness about other religions thus created by such displays of verses from Bhagavad-Gita in religiously-diverse Louisiana public school classrooms would make students of the state well-nurtured, well-balanced, and enlightened citizens of tomorrow. Moreover, it would infuse morality and ethics in Louisiana classrooms.
Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.2 billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. There are about three million Hindus in the USA.
Louisiana is reportedly the first US state to require display of Ten Commandments in every public school classroom.
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This is a great move and should be replicated all over the world, especially in the UK schools. when one realises that public libraries are devoid of information about Hindu religion although the most ancient .There is general (and sometime deliberate) ignorance persisting in the media about our heritage and unless it starts at school level, our peaceful religion will never be understood by the west