NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Atlanta, GA, September 13, 2025: For the first time, the Atlanta City Council will begin its official proceedings with Hindu prayers on September 15. The invocation will be delivered by interfaith leader Rajan Zed, who will recite ancient Sanskrit verses from some of Hinduism’s most revered scriptures.
Zed, President of the Universal Society of Hinduism, will open the session with chants from the Rig-Veda, the world’s oldest scripture still in common use, along with verses from the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. He will start and end with “Om,” the mystical syllable considered to embody the universe.
Among the verses he plans to recite is the well-known prayer from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: “Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor ma amritam gamaya” — “Lead us from the unreal to the real, Lead us from darkness to light, and Lead us from death to immortality.” From the Bhagavad Gita, he will urge the council and attendees to keep the welfare of others always in mind. Following the Sanskrit recitation, Zed will provide English translations for the benefit of all present.
Recognized for his interfaith efforts, Zed has been honored with the World Interfaith Leader Award and serves on the Advisory Board of The Interfaith Peace Project. He has contributed to platforms like The Washington Post’s “On Faith” and has led the “Faith Forum” interfaith panel in a Gannett publication for more than 14 years.
Hinduism, the world’s oldest and third-largest religion, has nearly 1.2 billion adherents worldwide, including about 3.2 million in the United States. Its ultimate spiritual goal is moksh (liberation).
