It was a momentous occasion yesterday for the gods and goddesses when Rajan Zed, a Hindu chaplain, read a Hindu prayer at the opening of United States Senate. It was the first time any Hindu prayer was delivered in the Senate since its formation in 1789...back when the Senators considered their nation a Christian one.He was invited to give the prayer by the studiously religious Harry Reid.
The final form of the prayer will be published soon in the Congressional Record but Zed was planning on using "something from Rig Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, dated from around 1,500 BCE; besides lines from Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), both ancient Hindu scriptures." He planned also to start and end the prayer with "OM", the mystical syllable containing the universe.
Zed, who also teaches classes at Truckee Meadows Community College on Hinduism and Hindu gods and goddesses, said he likely will include references to ancient Hindu scriptures, including Rig Veda, Upanishards and Bhagavard-Gita.
“July 12, 2007 will be an illustrious day for all Americans and memorable day for us when opening prayers from ancient Hindu scriptures will be read in the great hall of democracy,” he said.
