Hindu Prayers to Be Recited in Canada’s Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly for the First Time

Historic Invocation to Be Delivered by Hindu Statesman Rajan Zed in Yellowknife on June 5

The Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories in Yellowknife, Canada, will witness its first-ever Hindu prayer reading on June 5.

WORLD DESK – For the first time, a Hindu invocation will be recited in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories in Yellowknife on June 5.

Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed will deliver the invocation, which will include verses from ancient Sanskrit scriptures.

Zed will begin by chanting in Sanskrit, followed by an English interpretation of the prayers.

Sanskrit, considered sacred in Hinduism, is the root language of the Indo-European family.

Rajan Zed, who serves as the President of the Universal Society of Hinduism, will recite from the Rig-Veda, the oldest scripture still in common use.

Additionally, he will include lines from the Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita, both significant Hindu texts.

The prayer will start and end with “Om,” a mystical syllable that encapsulates the universe and is used in Hindu rituals.

Zed plans to recite a verse from the Brahadaranyakopanishad: “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.”

From the Bhagavad-Gita, he will urge attendees to consider the welfare of others.

Rajan Zed is a recognized global Hindu and interfaith leader, having received the World Interfaith Leader Award.

He serves on the Advisory Board of The Interfaith Peace Project and has been a panelist for “On Faith,” a religious conversation series by The Washington Post.

He also produces a weekly multi-faith panel “Faith Forum” for a Gannett publication.

Hinduism, the world’s oldest and third-largest religion, has about 1.2 billion adherents, with moksha (liberation) as its ultimate goal.

The Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories operates under a unique consensus government system, different from the party politics seen elsewhere in Canada.

The assembly consists of 19 members, with Frederick Blake Junior as the Speaker.