NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Goose Creek, SC, March 27, 2025: For the first time, Hindu prayers will open the meetings of the Goose Creek City Council and the Town Councils of Pelion, Norway, and Perry in South Carolina this April. The prayers, drawn from ancient Sanskrit scriptures, will be delivered by Hindu activist Rajan Zed.
Zed, who serves as the President of the Universal Society of Hinduism, will recite invocations from the Rig Veda, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita—some of the oldest and most revered Hindu scriptures. He will deliver the prayers in Sanskrit and follow them with English interpretations for the attendees.
The prayers will begin and conclude with “Om,” a sacred syllable in Hinduism that symbolizes the essence of the universe and is traditionally used to commence and conclude religious rituals. Among the verses he will recite is a well-known passage from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: “Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor mamrtam gamaya,” which translates to: “Lead us from the unreal to the real, Lead us from darkness to light, and Lead us from death to immortality.”
Additionally, Zed will reference the Bhagavad Gita, urging council members and attendees to keep the welfare of others in mind as they engage in governance and decision-making.
A prominent interfaith leader, Zed has received the World Interfaith Leader Award and serves on the Advisory Board of The Interfaith Peace Project. He is also a Senior Fellow and Religious Advisor to the Foundation for Religious Diplomacy. His contributions to interfaith dialogue include serving as a panelist for The Washington Post’s “On Faith” and leading the “Faith Forum” column in a Gannett publication for over 14 years.
Hinduism, the world’s oldest and third-largest religion, has approximately 1.2 billion followers worldwide. The United States is home to about three million Hindus, and efforts such as Zed’s help promote awareness and inclusivity of Hindu traditions in public spaces.
