Caru Dasa, president of the Hare Krishna temple in Utah, delivered the opening prayer for the State Senate in the Salt Lake City capitol building on Friday, February 19th.

He had been invited by State Senator Mark Madsen, who has attended several celebrations at the Spanish Fork temple. Senator Madsen agreed to come again to say a few words at the upcoming Festival of Colors on March 27th, stating “I will also stay to enjoy the pandemonium of Colors with my family afterwards.”

In his address, Caru Dasa recited traditional mantras for commencing a day’s work and glorified the many names of God found in various traditions. He closed with a prayer for the Lord to show the assembled representatives “how they can meditate upon You, learning from You the wisdom that we need.”

Caru Dasa started sharing Krishna Consciousness in Utah in 1982 with a radio station, and the temple that he developed now hosts several large festivals a year, including the Llama Fest, which draws up to 5,000 visitors.