[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 16490]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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    SENATE RESOLUTION 277--RECOGNIZING THE RELIGIOUS AND HISTORICAL 
                 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FESTIVAL OF DIWALI

  Mr. WARNER (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Menendez, and Mr. Coons) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on the Judiciary.:

                              S. Res. 277

       Whereas Diwali is a festival of great significance and 
     celebrated annually by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains throughout 
     India, the United States, and the world;
       Whereas Diwali is a festival of lights that marks the 
     beginning of the Hindu new year, during which celebrants 
     light and place small lamps around the home and pray for 
     health, knowledge, peace, wealth, and prosperity in the new 
     year;
       Whereas Diwali will be celebrated throughout the world for 
     five days and is an opportunity to celebrate the faith of all 
     people and the universal right to religious expression and 
     spiritual freedom;
       Whereas the lights symbolize the light of knowledge within 
     the individual that overwhelms the darkness of ignorance, 
     empowering each celebrant to do good deeds and show 
     compassion to others;
       Whereas Diwali falls on the last day of the last month in 
     the lunar calendar and is celebrated as a day of thanksgiving 
     for the homecoming of the Lord Rama and worship of Lord 
     Ganesha, the remover of obstacles and bestower of blessings, 
     at the beginning of the new year for many Hindus;
       Whereas, for Sikhs, Diwali is celebrated as Bandhi Chhor 
     Diwas (The Celebration of Freedom), in honor of the release 
     from imprisonment of the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind; and
       Whereas, for Jains, Diwali marks the anniversary of the 
     attainment of moksha, or liberation, by Mahavira, the last of 
     the Tirthankaras (the great teachers of Jain dharma), at the 
     end of his life in 527 B.C.: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the religious and historical significance of 
     the festival of Diwali, the festival of lights, and expresses 
     its respect for the people of India, Indian Americans, and 
     members of the Indian diaspora around the world on this 
     significant occasion; and
       (2) supports a strong relationship between the people and 
     governments of the United States and India, based on mutual 
     trust and respect that will enable the countries to more 
     closely collaborate across a broad spectrum of interests, 
     such as global peace and prosperity.

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