Rajan Zed reading Hindu invocation at Wyoming House of Representatives.
Rajan Zed with Wyoming Governor Matthew H. Mead before the historic prayers.
Both Wyoming Senate and Wyoming House of Representatives in Cheyenne started their day with ancient Hindu prayers on February three.
These invocations contained verses from Rig-Veda; the oldest existing scripture of the mankind still in common use.
Hindu statesman Rajan Zed delivered these prayers from Sanskrit scriptures before the Senate and House. After Sanskrit delivery, he then read the English translation of the prayers. Sanskrit is considered a sacred language in Hinduism and root language of Indo-European languages.
Zed, who is the President of Universal Society of Hinduism, besides Rig-Veda, also recited from Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), both ancient Hindu scriptures. He started and ended the prayers with “Om”, the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work.
Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad, Rajan Zed said: “Asato ma sad gamaya, tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, mrtyor mamrtam gamaya”, which he then interpreted as, “Lead us from the unreal to the Real, Lead us from darkness to Light, Lead us from death to immortality.” Reading from Bhagavad-Gita, he urged the legislators to keep the welfare of others always in mind. Legislators and employees were seen standing in prayer mode with their heads bowed down during these invocations.
Zed is a global Hindu and interfaith leader. Bestowed with World Interfaith Leader Award; Zed is Senior Fellow and Religious Advisor to Foundation for Religious Diplomacy, on the Advisory Board of The Interfaith Peace Project, Spiritual Advisor to National Association of Interchurch & Interfaith Families, etc. He was invited by President of European Parliament in Brussels (Belgium) for a meeting to promote interfaith dialogue. He also leads a weekly interfaith panel “Faith Forum” in a Gannett publication for the last nearly six years.
Wearing saffron colored attire, a ruddraksh mala (rosary), and traditional sandalpaste tilak (religious mark) on the forehead, Zed sprinkled few drops of water from river Ganga of India, considered holy by Hindus, around the podiums. Zed presented a copy of Bhagavad-Gita to Governor Matthew H. Mead and House Speaker Steve Harshman. Senate President Eli D. Bebout presented Zed with a memento of State of Wyoming Legislature.
Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. There are about three million Hindus in USA.
There are 60 members of the House of Representatives and 30 members of the Senate of the USA’s State of Wyoming, whose nickname is “Cowboy State” and tagline is: “Some things can’t be explained. Only experienced.”