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
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)[5] (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
- Brakha (daily prayer in Mandaeism)
- Asut Malkia
- Tabahatan
- Shumhata
- Rahma (Mandaeism)
- Qulasta
- List of Qulasta prayers
References
- Back to citation Drower, Ethel Stefana (1937). The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran. Oxford at the Clarendon Press.
- Back to citation occurrence 2.0 Back to citation occurrence 2.1 Drower, E. S. (1959). The Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
- Back to citation Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2010). The great stem of souls: reconstructing Mandaean history. Piscataway, N.J: Gorgias Press. ISBN 978-1-59333-621-9.
- Back to citation occurrence 4.0 Back to citation occurrence 4.1 Back to citation occurrence 4.2 Gelbert, Carlos; Lofts, Mark J. (2025). The Qulasta. Edensor Park, NSW: Living Water Books. ISBN 978-0-6487954-3-8.
- Back to citation Gelbert & Lofts (2025) suggest that tana may have in fact been a misreading of kana.
External links
- Šal Šulta recited by Salem Choheili in Ahvaz, Iran (alternative version)