- Saturday, May 18, 2024
A video, which went viral, showed Ramaswamy’s father conducting a ceremonial puja of the ancient text before passing it on to his entrepreneur-politician son, who recited Aikyamatya Sukhtam.
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE Kerala Hindus of North America recently gifted a copy of the sacred Hindu text ‘Rig Vedam’ to the parents of Indian-American presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. A video, which went viral, showed Ramaswamy’s father conducting a ceremonial puja of the ancient text before passing it on to his entrepreneur-politician son who will soon feature in the Iowa caucus of his Republican Party.
The 38-year-old Ramaswamy was seen reciting the Vedic hymn of Aikyamatya Sukhtam, embracing the wisdom encapsulated in the Rig Vedam.
The presidential hopeful and his family were seen performing the ritual at a temple in Dayton, Ohio, where the former was born.
Read: Vivek Ramaswamy was asked how US could have a Hindu president: He said this in reply
Ramaswamy’s mother was a geriatric psychiatrist while his father was an engineer at General Electric.
Kerala Hindus of North America present the "Rig Vedam" to parents of Vivek Ramaswamy, who received it with immense reverence. They bestowed it upon Vivek at the Dayton Temple. Vivek's father conducted a pooja for the book & passed it to Vivek, who recited the Aikyamatya Suktham pic.twitter.com/HbgQ2oTC8i
— Anil Padmanabhan🇮🇳🕉️🚩 (@anilp68) January 1, 2024
Ramaswamy, whose parents are Tamil-speaking Brahmins from the southern Indian state of Kerala, drew parallels between the teachings of Hinduism and Christianity at ‘The Family Leader’ forum last November and expressed his plan to promote shared values for the benefit of the next generation.
Read: Ramaswamy reiterates pledge to withdraw from state ballots that removed Trump
“May faith is what gives me my freedom. My faith is what led me to this presidential campaign…I am a Hindu. I believe there is one true God. I believe God put each of us here for a purpose. My faith teaches us that we have a duty, a moral duty to realize that purpose. Those are God’s instruments that work through us in different ways, but we are still equal because God resides in each of us. That’s the core of my faith,” he said.
While Ramaswamy’s campaign has gained traction, and he has risen in GOP primary polls, Ramswamy still trails former president Donald Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis in support.
The US will go to the presidential election on November 5.
(With agency inputs)
