Magh Shudhha Shasthi
- Oregon Governor issues congratulatory document on Hindu prayer in Oregon Senate & House (1 Feb 09)
- Hindu prayers opened both Oregon Senate and House in USA (30 Jan 09)
USA: Oregon Governor, Theodore R. Kulongoski, issued "Congratulations" document on the occasion of Hindu opening prayers in Oregon State Senate and Oregon House of Representatives on January 28 and 29 respectively in Salem (USA).
"It has been a historic two days to have Hindu prayers offered in both chambers of the Seventy-Fifth Oregon Legislative Assembly," the document signed by Kulongoski on January 29 said.
Addressing acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, who read both these prayers, the document said, "I applaud your efforts and for sharing your Hindu and Indo-American statesmanship with our legislative leaders and with the people of Oregon. It is an acknowledgement of the importance of cultural diversity and religious inclusion in our society."
It further said about Zed, "You stand as a model for maintaining a positive vision, overcoming hardships, and achieving success. Oregonians of all backgrounds and beliefs can gain strength from your example."
Meanwhile, President of Oregon State Senate Peter Courtney, in a letter to Zed, thanked him for "delivering an inspirational invocation on January 28" in the Senate and added, "We hope that you might be interested in returning in the future."
Rajan Zed’s opening prayer in the Oregon House, consisting of Sanskrit shlokas from ancient Hindu scriptures, is reportedly the first Hindu prayer in its history. Zed is president of Universal Society of Hinduism and was recently bestowed with World Interfaith Leader Award.
Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents. Moksha (liberation) is the ultimate goal of Hinduism.
The Oregon State Senate consists of 30 members, each representing about 114,000 citizens; while Oregon State House of Representatives is formed of 60 members, each representing about 57,000 citizens. Known as Beaver State, Oregon is the home of Nike and most ghost towns than any other State in USA.
Hindu prayers opened both Oregon Senate and House in USA
January 30, 2009
USA: Groundbreaking Sanskrit mantras from ancient Hindu scriptures reverberated in Oregon House of Representatives in Salem today, reportedly for the first time in its history.
Yesterday, Hindu shlokas opened the session of Oregon State Senate in Salem. Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed read both the prayers. Both days, Senators and Representatives stood quietly in prayer mode with heads bowed down, when Zed recited from ancient Sanskrit scriptures after sprinkling gangajal (holy water from river Ganga in India) around the podium.
"It is great honor for us when ancient Sanskrit scriptures are being read in this great hall of democracy of great state of Oregon," Zed said before the House prayer. After Sanskrit delivery, Zed then read the English translation of the prayers. Sanskrit is considered sacred language in Hinduism and root language of Indo-European languages.
Rajan Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, recited 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 started and ended the prayer with "OM", the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work.
Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad, Zed said, "Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor mamrtam gamaya", which he then translated as "Lead us from the unreal to the Real, from darkness to Light, and from death to Immortality."
Senate President Peter Courtney and House Speaker Dave Hunt introduced Zed in Senate and House respectively, while Ted Ferrioli, Senate Republican Leader. thanked him personally for the blessings. Representative Vicki Berger, who invited Zed to the House, listed Zed’s various achievements in her address. Senator Jackie Winters invited Zed for Senate prayer. Zed later met Oregon Governor’s Senior Policy Advisor Daniel P. Santos and Salem Mayor Janet Taylor and discussed various issues, including interfaith dialogue. He presented copies of Bhagavad-Gita to Courtney, Hunt, Santos and Taylor.
Nagaraj Raghavendran, who works as Systems Architect for the State of Oregon, and who met Rajan Zed between the prayers, later commented that it was a "good feeling" to have Sanskrit presence on the Senate and House floors. He hoped that these prayers would provide an insight to both Senators and Representatives to explore Hinduism and Sanskrit more.
Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents. Moksha (liberation) is the ultimate goal of Hinduism.
The Oregon State Senate consists of 30 members, each representing about 114,000 citizens; while Oregon State House of Representatives is formed of 60 members, each representing about 57,000 citizens. Known as Beaver State, Oregon is the home of Nike and most ghost towns than any other State in USA.
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