•Haīī: the one who lives, is living, the name of
the creator and lord, the worshipped deity in Mandaeism. It is the
holiest of the lord’s attributes. It also means life for life is God
and God is life. The word Haīī is always used when describing what is
sacred to Mandaeans such as Manda ad Haīī (Knowledge of Life), Maīā
Haīī (The Living Water), Ithir Haīī (The Dwelling of Life), Bait Haīī
(The Kingdom of Life).
Haīminūthā: faith, belief, faith in the Lord and
in His religion, one of the holy Mandaean trilogies being Lofā, Kishtā,
and Haīminūthā. Thus in Mandaean the word for a believer is Imhaimin, a
derivative of Maīminūthā.
•Yardina: flowing water, living water, heavenly
water found in the World of Light. The Yardina is one of the primary
elements of creation according to Mandaean philosophy. Small quantities
of heavenly Yardina water are found in earthly rivers. Earthly Yardinas
are fed from heavenly Yardinas and that gives them their living
attribute and their permanence. In essence, a Yardina is the Light of
Life embodied in water. Not all water is holy in Mandaeism, only fresh
and running water (natural rivers). The Yardina is of paramount
symbolic importance in the creation of life and realms. The Yardina is
also one of the attributes of the Creator and sanctifies life.
Kushtā: covenant, vows, truth, equity, and
justice. In practice, Kishtā is utilized in the performance of vows, in
allegiance, in honesty, and in the covenant. This occurs simultaneously
with the shaking of hands with one’s right hand (the symbol of light)
and with the kissing of hands. Kishtā Yaqrā (The True God) is one of
the Lord’s attributes.
Rishāmā: consecration, sealing, marking,
identifying something by marking it with special physical marks; a key
Mandaean ritual that is performed without recourse to a Ganzafrā,
Tarmidā, or Ishkandā and has two objectives: spiritual through the
consecration of each one of the five senses, physical through cleansing
of symbolically important areas of the body. The Rishāmā is chief
amongst Mandaean rituals and must be performed by a Yardina.
Subject: Important Mandaean Terms 
Tue May 29, 2007 12:07 pm