First Hindu US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard takes oath on Bhagavad Gita

Washington: Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii has become the first Hindu ever to be sworn in as a member of the US House of Representatives & to have taken oath of office on the Bhagavad Gita.

Tulsi, 31, was administered the oath of office by John Boehner, the speaker of the House of Representatives, PTI reported.

“I chose to take the oath of office with my personal copy of the Bhagavad-Gita because its teachings have inspired me to strive to be a servant-leader, dedicating my life in the service of others & to my country,” she said after the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday.

“My Gita has been a tremendous source of inner peace & strength through many tough challenges in life, including being in the midst of death & turmoil while serving our country in the Middle East,” she said explaining the reasons for taking the oath of office on Gita.

“I was raised in a multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-faith family. My mother is Hindu; my father is a Catholic lector in his church who moreover practices mantra meditation. I began to grapple with questions of spirituality as a teenager.”

“Over time, I came to believe that, at its essence, religion gives us a deeper purpose in life than just living for ourselves. Since I was a teenager, I have embraced this spiritual journey through the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita.”

“..In so doing, have been blessed with the motivation & strength to dedicate my life in service others in a variety of ways,” she said.

Early during the Democratic National Convention, Gabbard spoke from stage along with Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Party leader in the US House of Representatives.

Tulsi was born in 1981 in Leloaloa, American Samoa, the fourth of five children born to a Hindu mother & a Christian (Catholic) father.

At the age of two, the family moved to Hawaii, the 50th state of the US, moreover known as the “Aloha State”.

Source – Thenewstribe