Hindus have applauded Vatican for their “message for the feast of Deepavali” wishing “splendid and joyous Deepavali” to “Hindu Friends”.

Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, welcomed the Vatican’s offer of “need to work together for integral human development”, “assuming a shared responsibility for one another”, “seriously engaging in collaborative action”, and “belonging to one human family”.

Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, commended Vatican’s statement on the occasion, which said: “Let us all, as people of good will, join together to dispel every darkness that hinders a true vision of co-existence, religious harmony and integral development for each and every person”.

Rajan Zed also hailed His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for reportedly including verse from ancient Hindu scripture Upanishads in the Good Friday Meditations and Prayers led by him at Roman Colosseum sometime back. Zed, commenting that it was a remarkable gesture from Pope, invited him to study more ancient Hindu scriptures, which were very rich in philosophical thought.

This year’s “Way of the Cross at the Colesseum” Meditations and Prayers on Good Friday led by Pope and put together by Vatican Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, reportedly included well-known verse from Brahadaranyakopanishad (Lead me from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality), line from Tagore’s Gitanjali (Give me the strength to make my love fruitful in service), and reference to Mahatma Gandhi.

Zed urged Pope to visit a Hindu temple in the near future to promote mutual understanding and respect between the faiths. All religions should work together for a just and peaceful world, Zed added.

Rajan Zed says that in our shared pursuit for the truth, we can learn from one another and thus can arrive nearer to the truth. This dialogue may help us vanquish the stereotypes, prejudices, caricatures, etc., passed on to us from previous generations. As dialogue brings us reciprocal enrichment, we shall be spiritually richer than before the contact.

Pope Benedict leads the Roman Catholic Church (headquartered in Vatican), which is the largest of the Christian denominations. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksha (liberation) is its ultimate goal. Largest of Hindu festivals Deepavali (Diwali), the festival of lights, aims at dispelling the darkness and lighting up the lives and symbolizes the victory of good over evil.

-Sampurn Media