Shal Shulta

The Shal Shulta (Classical Mandaic: ࡔࡀࡋ ࡔࡅࡋࡕࡀ, romanized: Šal Šulta) is a commonly recited prayer in Mandaeism.[1] It is numbered as Prayer 171 in E. S. Drower's version of the Qulasta,[2] which was based on manuscript 53 of the Drower Collection (abbreviated DC 53).[3]

The Ṭabahatan (Prayer 170) directly precedes the Shal Shulta prayer.[2]

Contents

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The prayer begins with the lines, "Praised be the First Great Radiance" (Classical Mandaic: ࡌࡔࡀࡁࡀ ࡆࡉࡅࡀ ࡓࡁࡀ ࡒࡀࡃࡌࡀࡉࡀ, romanized: mšaba ziua rba qadmaia).[4]

The prayer starts with praising the:[4]

  • radiance (ziua) (mšaba ziua rba qadmaia)
  • light (nhura) (mšaba nhura rba qadmaia)
  • wellspring (aina) and date palm (sindirka) (mšaba aina u-sindirka rba qadmaia)
  • source (tana/kana)[a] (mšaba tana kasia ḏ-b-gu aina rabtia kasita qadmaita šria)
  • Shishlam Rabba (mšaba šišlam rba ḏ-l-kipa ḏ-aina u-sindirka iatib)
  • Ezlat Rabtia (mšaba ʿzlat rabtia)
  • Yawar (mšaba iauar rba ḏ-mn kanpia ḏ-ziua ʿṣṭarar)
  • Simat Hayyi (mšaba simat hiia ʿmaihun ḏ-kulhun malkia, ḏ-mina hun ḏ-kulhun almia, ḏ-mn himat razia kasiia ʿpiršat)
  • Yardna (mšaba hak iardna rba qadmaia)
  • 360 Yardnia
  • Shkinta (mšaba hak škinta rabtia kasita qadmaita)

Afterwards, admonitions from Yawar are mentioned. Finally, Habshaba (Sunday), Bihram Rabba, Abatur Rama, Mahziel (the first great word), Haia-Šum, Yawar Rabba, and Yur Rabba are addressed in lengthier invocations.[4]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Gelbert & Lofts (2025) suggest that tana may have in fact been a misreading of kana.

References

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  1. ^ Drower, Ethel Stefana (1937). The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran. Oxford at the Clarendon Press.
  2. ^ a b Drower, E. S. (1959). The Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
  3. ^ Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2010). The great stem of souls: reconstructing Mandaean history. Piscataway, N.J: Gorgias Press. ISBN 978-1-59333-621-9.
  4. ^ a b c Gelbert, Carlos; Lofts, Mark J. (2025). The Qulasta. Edensor Park, NSW: Living Water Books. ISBN 978-0-6487954-3-8.
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