SACRAMENTO, California: California State Senate heard its first Hindu opening prayer this week in its 157-year history when famous Hindu chaplain Rajan Zed recited Gayatri and other ancient Sanskrit mantras.

Starting with "Om", the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work, he read from the Rig-Veda, claimed to be the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, dated from around 1500 BCE. He also delivered from Brahadaranyakopnisad, Taittiriya Upanisad, and Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), all ancient Hindu scriptures. He ended the prayer with the last mantra of Rig-Veda, "samani va akutih", before concluding with "Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti", which he then translated as "Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all".

Before starting the prayer, he sprinkled Gangajal (holy water from River Ganga in India) on the podium, which is traditional in Hindu worship.

Wearing saffron-colored attire, a ruddraksh mala (rosary), and traditional sandalpaste tilak (religious mark) on the forehead, Zed, after reciting the original lines in Sanskrit, then read the English translation of the verses. Sanskrit is considered a sacred language in Hinduism and is the root language of all Indo-European languages. The full text of the prayer will be recorded in the Daily Journal of the Senate, which is a permanent public record.

Reverend Canon James D. Richardson, Chaplain of California State Senate, introduced Rajan Zed while Don Perata, Senate President pro tem, Senator Christine Kehoe (San Jose) and Senator Elaine Alquist (San Diego) personally welcomed him.

One of the paragraphs of this Hindu prayer read in Sanskrit was "Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrityor mamrtam gamaya", which was translated in English as "Lead me from the unreal to the real, Lead me from darkness to light, Lead me from death to immortality."

Zed was accompanied to the California senate by his community volunteer wife Shipa Zed, son Navgeet Zed, recipient of Nevada Peacemaker of the Year award, and a group of other supporters, including Jassi Cheema, Paradhyeya Das, and Chaitanya Dasi, many of whom came out of town.

"This day of August 27, 2007, is an esteemed day for all Californians and momentous day for us when opening prayers from ancient Hindu scriptures are being read in this majestic hall of democracy," Zed remarked.

Rajan Zed volunteers as a chaplain in various hospitals, serves on various boards of directors, and is very active in interfaith dialogue.

He created history on July 12 when he opened the United States Senate session in Washington DC with a Hindu prayer for the first time in its 218-year history. The City of Reno issued him a proclamation and he received various honors from different organizations in this country and abroad.