Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, who read the invocation (opening-prayer) in the United States (US) Senate in Washington DC on July 12, 2007; has been scheduled to deliver the opening-prayer again in the Senate on July 30.

 

Besides US Senate and US House of Representatives; Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, has read Hindu opening-prayers in 310 other legislative bodies in 44 US states and Canada; including state senates, state houses-of-representatives/assemblies, county commissions, city/town councils; which is an record in itself. Most of these were the first Hindu prayers of these legislative bodies.

 

Rajan Zed plans to start and end the July 30 prayer of the Senate with "Om", the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work. Prayer will contain hymns from world's oldest extant scripture.

 

Zed will read the English interpretation of the original Sanskrit verses from Rig-Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use; besides lines from Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), both ancient Hindu scriptures. Instructions to Senate guest chaplains clearly state that the opening-prayer "must be given exclusively and entirely in the English language".

 

Beginning with Gayatri-Mantra, considered the most sacred mantra of Hinduism, Zed plans to say from Brahadaranyakopanishad: "Lead us from the unreal to the real, Lead us from darkness to light, and Lead us from death to immortality." Reciting from Bhagavad-Gita, he proposes to urge senators and others present to keep the welfare of others always in mind.

 

Rajan Zed will be wearing traditional saffron-colored kurta-pajama, a rudraksh mala (rosary); besides sandal-paste tilak on his forehead.

 

Zed, a global Hindu and interfaith leader, has been bestowed with the World Interfaith Leader Award. Zed is on the Advisory Board of The Interfaith Peace Project, etc. He has been panelist for "On Faith", a prestigious interactive conversation on religion used to be produced by The Washington Post; and produces a weekly multi-faith panel "Faith Forum" in a Gannett publication for over 13 years.