Hymns of Praise

In the Name of the Life!

Praised be the First Great Radiance and praised the Great First Light! Praised be the Wellspring and the great first Palm-Tree Praised be the mystic Tan(n)a which dwelleth in the great mystic First Wellspring. Praised be the great S'is'lam who sitteth on the bank of the Wellspring and Palm-tree ; praised is the great 'zlat Praised is the great Yawar who was formed from the loins of Radiance: praised is Simat-Hiia (Treasure-of-Life), Mother of all kings, because from them (both) all worlds proceeded - for she was appointed as the result of secret mysteries.

Praised is that first great Jordan : praised are those three hundred and sixty jordans which proceeded from that first great Jordan. Praised is that great mystic first S'kinta and praised are the three hundred and sixty S'kintas which proceeded from that first great mystic S'kinta.

Yawar-Ziwa, the vigilant 'uthra, divulged, revealed and said, "Upon every Nasoraean man who standeth at his devotions and prayeth this prayer and offereth up this (prayer of) dedication the glory of the Life will come and will rest on him, and he shall have strength and increase like Anus'-'Uthra. Upon any Mandaean man who standeth at his devotions and prayeth this prayer and raiseth this dedicatory prayer the attention of the Life will descend, will rest on him and he will have strength and greatness like a priest. And he shall say "Thou art established First Life" and dedicate (his crown) sixty-one times and make (this) petition : (and say) Ye are blessed, praised and magnified, revered and established with high honour which is great and boundless, O Life, and my Lord Manda-d-Hiia and the great First Liie, the Second Life and the Third Life ; Yufin and Yufafin ; Sam-Mana Smira ; and the Vine which is all Life and the great Tree which is all healings. (O) Compassionate One, Forgiving One, Clement One, Pitiful One, Deliverer and Saviour, O Looser of the bound, loosen him (me) from and forgive his (my) sins, trespasses, follies, stumblings and blunders, mine, Adam-Zihrun son of Mahnus', who have prayed this prayer and "devotions". Be there forgiveness of sins for me! O Sunday, the lauded, pure guardian of Light, (0) Ayar-Nhura, pure saviour who art all piety, who art invisible and unbounded! be my answerer and answer me : be my supporter and support me, be my Raiser-up and raise my soul, mine, Adam-Zihrun son of Mahnus' who have prayed this prayer and "devotions". Be there forgiveness of sins for me!

O Hablaba (Sunday) ! deliver me from hell-beasts and from purgatory-demons and from water-penalties , and from pots that seethe, from fire and ice, from the snare of the planets, from the plots of the planets, from the slaying of the planets and from the seven hell-beasts , the chief Levier of dues and the children of darkness. Great Bihram! baptise me in thy sublime jordan and deliver me in purity to the Place of Light. Stretch forth thy right hand of holy truth to clasp that of this my individual soul, mine, Adam-Zihrun son of Mahnus', who have prayed this prayer and (offered up) these devotions. Be there forgiving of sins for me. O Abathur-Rama, 0 Abathur-Muzania! Weigh me in thy balance, build me into thy building and count me in thy reckoning! Mahziel, Great First Word, which assured me sight in mine eyes, pour wisdom into my heart!

Open the eyes of my understanding! Haias'um, healer ; Kus'ta, and Yusmir healer of the mana and its counterpart, heal me (preserve me) from pains, from blemishes from hateful curses, from a sickly body and from an oozing body. 0 Yawar-Rba, Yur-Rba , Treasurer, king of worlds of light, free me, rid me of my sin, my trespasses, my follies, my stumblings and my mistakes, mine, Adam Zihrun son of Mahnus' who have prayed this prayer and devotions. Be there forgiveness of sins for me, and for my father and mother, and nor my teacher , for my wife and children, for my priests and for all souls who stood for the Name of Life and were firm in the sign of Manda-d-Hiia with a sincere and believing heart. Yea, Life, verily Life , Life will be with the victorious. They (Life) will not condemn those who love Their name: they will be joined in holy union. Life for those who know, Life for those who believe, Life for beings who instruct us . Life is established in its dwellings: Life is victorious over all works.

Chapter 172

Now (we beseech Thee), Life, (bestow) Thy pity, Thy clemency, Thine attention, Thy compassion, Thine, Great First Life! Show pity, be clement, be attentive to and show compassion on this, my soul, mine, Adam-Zihrun son of Mahnus' who have prayed this prayer and (these) devotions. May there be forgiveness of sins for me. (Three times) . For me and for my father and my mother, for my teacher and for my wife and my offspring, and for my priest and for whomsoever hath offered this bread and ritual foods. And for you, my fathers, my teachers, and my instructors and those who taught me the faith when ye supported me from the Left to the Right, may there be forgiving of sins for you. And ye shall say "Life is established in its dwellings". And Life is victorious over all works.
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Christian Section .... Mandaean Scriptures and Fragments: The Ginza Rba
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