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{{Infobox book
| italic title = 
| name = Tafsir Pagra
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| country = Sasanian Empire
| language = Mandaic
| series = ''1012 Questions''
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| subject = Mandaeism
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The '''''Tafsir Pagra''''' ("The Explanation of the Body") makes up Book 1, Part 2 of the ''1012 Questions'', a Mandaean text (Drower 1960).

==Tafsir Pagra==
;(216)
:... And so, when food goes down and reacheth the inside, the lower belly;
:Šdum-Daiwa cometh and by his agency and strength he bringeth the excrements forth by way of Karafiun and 2 worlds so that they come and fall into
#'''Ṣihiun''' ('''Zion'''), a valley which is the dumping-ground of dung and urine in one place.
#It is the world below the '''ocean'''
#and the ocean is beneath the world of '''Ptahil'''.
#And the world of Ptahil is extended (ptian) beneath the '''earthly world''',
#and the earthly world is beneath the world of '''Mšunia-Kušṭa'''
#and Mšunia-Kušṭa below the world of '''Abathur'''.
#And the world of Abathur is below the world of '''outflowing waters''',
#and the world of outflowing waters below the world of the pure '''Yušamin'''.
#And the world of the pure Yušamin is beneath the world of '''Yukabar-Kušṭa-Kana'''
#and the world of Yukabar-Kušṭa-Kana below the world of '''Yawar-Ziwa''';
#and the world of Yawar-Ziwa is below the world of '''Tarwan-Nhura'''.
#And the world of Tarwan-Nhura is beneath the world of '''Yawar-Rba'''
#and the world of Yawar-Rba beneath the world of '''Šahrat-Anana''',
#And the world of Šahrat-Anana is below the world of '''Kanat-Rabtia'''
#and the world of Kanat-Rabtia below the world of '''Mara-d-Rabutha'''.
#And the world of Mara-d-Rabutha and the '''great mighty Mana''',
#and the '''great Father of Glory''',
#and '''Šišlam-Rba''',
#'''Abathur-Rama'''
#and '''Sam-Mana-Smira''' —
#(yea even) the '''House of the Lofty Radiance''' —
:all of them constitute one Mšunia-Kušṭa.

:And to each of them their light is mutually visible, pleasing and displayed;
:and their rays are formed like one another,
:for they are all of light;
:all (form part) of a single Body,
:and each one of them that existeth in the Body is a world;
:when separated (taken separately) each one of them is a world.
:When (If) it happened that these worlds separated,
:it would be as if one of them divided:
:one is the Body and one the division.

;(217)
:The '''head''' is one world;
:one world the '''neck''',
:one world the '''breast''',
:and '''each leg''' is one world (even so),
:unto the '''liver''',
:and '''spleen''',
:'''bowels''',
:'''stomach''',
:'''liver''' (sic),
:the '''male organs'''
:and the '''womb'''
:and '''skin'''
:and '''hair'''
:and '''nails'''
:and '''back'''
:and '''viscera'''
:each one of them is a (separate) world.

:And when they converse together
:it is like (talk) between persons in whom there is no hatred, envy or dissension.
:And if, amongst all these (worlds),
:there be (one) superfluous or another lacking from the structure,
:(that is) in the Body,
:the whole Body is harmed,
:for they counterpoise one another,
:and the Soul dwelleth in their midst as they (dwell) with one another.

:And if they are not counterpoised,
:one corrupteth the other and they,
:together with Body and Soul,
:are not mutally established.

;(218)
:For when the Body was formed,
:a Soul (nišimta) was formed,
:and when the Soul took shape in the Body,
:the Body formed the Vital Spirit (ruha).

:And when both had taken shape,
:the Womb was formed.
:For the Womb is a great world,
:there is no (world) greater or more powerful than It.

:And the Blood that is within it is lovely Radiance (or Light),
:and the Blood that is in its Heart is precious and sublime Radiance,
:and the blood in its Liver is lovely and plenteous Radiance,
:that moveth in all the Body.

:And the blood that is in the Veins is flowing Radiance,
:These are the 4 Lights (Emanations of Light) which control the Body,
:if they had been (but) three,
:the Body would not be established.

:If the juices of the liver imbibe from them,
:4 fluids intermingle,
:they are (become?) one:
:fluids which plasma deposits,
:and they are wholesome,
:(some) are gathered from the eyes;
:other fluids gathered from the ears;
:further, mingled fluids are gathered from the nostrils.

;(219)
:Moreover, these 4 humours resemble blood and water;
:each of which has its own (inherent) quality.
:From these, 4 qualities and 4 colours arise,
:and of these 4 humours
#one of them is red,
#one of them yellow,
#one of them white
#and one of them black.
:And from the black one evil impurities originate which injure spirit and soul,
:and they fear it and quake before it.

;(220)
:Then there are 4 other qualities which proceed from the watery humours by which the whole body is interpenetrated.
:The quality of one is wholesome and pleasing so that the soul (gladly)-sitteth in its company.
:And one of them is pungent mysteries of the body,
:and one of them is troublesome,
:bile is its name.
:For the blend of mysteries are held together by stability,
:(each one) with all its brethren.
:4 winds are kept within it.
:And of these 4 qualities,
:each one of them has 4 attributes: thus there are 16 attributes,
:and each of these 16 (have) 32 characteristics,
:and of those 32 characteristics 64 qualities (tendencies) characterise the Body:
:heating, drying and consuming;
:hence they are called 64 sins.
:Every man whose soul is delivered from these cities (?),
:64 sins, namely these, shall be loosed from him...

;(221)
:In the name of the Great Life!...
:So, when she (the soul) reacheth the 7 mysteries,
:a servant of the 7 went forth towards her and came and embraced her and said to her
:"Whence comest thou and whither goest thou?"

:I will say to him
:"I come from the Body the name of which is ‘earth’ and I journey towards the Good Kimṣa."

:And the servant said (will say?) to her (the soul)
:"Who art thou and of whom art thou called a messenger?"

:I will say to him
:"I am the servant of the beloved Kimṣa and the messenger of Ayar-Sagia."

:Then they bless and praise her and say to her:
:"Every man who knoweth this saying will rise towards the good Kimṣa because he seeketh to control the mysteries of the body."

:And they question her
:and then she riseth up towards the good Kimṣa.
:Finis.

===Commentary===
;(222)
:This is a secret mystery and explanation of the Body,
:that is esoteric and not revealed,
:which I have copied who am poor, lowly, striving and child-like,
:a slave who is all sin.
:I am Zakia-Zihrun....

;(223)
:The earth is a Body and air (ayar) is the soul therein.
:And its burgeoningsforth are its bones and the rivers are its veins;
:its blood is the ocean and its womb...
:The copper earth is the legs upon which the body is supported,
:and its supporting columns are in the earth...
:the Body and its size,
:its convexity and its extent...
:and the hair of the head,
:the eyebrows and eyelashes,
:hair beneath the buttocks and breasts,
:and the hair of the whole body.
:Moreover, each extremity is the (end of) one world.
:The right is a world and the left a world;
:the breasts are 2 worlds and the 2 feet 2 worlds,
:and the 2 shanks 2 worlds and the knees 2 worlds.
:The 2 thighs are 2 worlds and the whole trunk is 2 worlds.

;(224)
:And the male organ is vigorous in its strength and imperial majesty:
:the body, the earth and heavens and the worlds of light and darkness,
:are equipped therewith.
:It is a strong implement,
:and kingliness resembleth it,
:for the whole Body and the kings are safeguarded thereby
:and no trees, birds, animals, cattle or running waters can escape its compulsion.
:For 7 kings are incorporated therein standing in 7 garments and written with 7 letters namely,
:'''GABARUT(A)''' (virility) — their name.

:For it (the male organ) is the channel of mysteries,
:it is a wellspring and hair cometh out from it;
:thereby the senses are held.
:For it is a great mystery to those who perform (its function);
:who erect it in purity and not to excess.
:(As for) those who deprave it,
:they are cast from the height down to the uttermost limit of the worlds.
:The eye is not opened which beholdeth all worlds;
:their eyes are dazzled and they behold them not!

;(225)
:So, when thou releasest seed and hast been orderly in (the act) and its fount fell upon the mystery of the womb within her,
:which is alight at it (responsive to it) seed and blood love one another and seek their vehicle;
:a soul, a body and a vital spirit.
:And by them kings and regents,
:(yea) and the whole world, are created.
:And so, when they approach one another,
:soul and spirit rejoice at that mystery.
:As it (the male seed) neared the mystery of the womb,
:the soul rejoiced and addressed a hymn to it and said:—

;(226)
:In the Name of the Great Life!
:On the day the Radiance became manifest.
:And emerged from the Inner Radiance,
:The counterpart of the Jordan formed itself in its mirror.
:Its counterpart was formed in a jordan that was its mirror,
:And in the Ether water was produced.
:A jordan issued in radiancy
:And water in the Ether was shed abroad;
:Shed abroad were the waters in the Ether-air,
:And the power of Light divulged itself;
:It expressed itself,
:increased and multiplied.
:And the Crown was established,
:and the Wreath twined;
:Twined was the Wreath and the leaves of myrtle flourished,
:They flourished,
:the leaves of the myrtle,
:And trees bore their burden (of fruit).
:Nasirutha spoke in them and twined their purities on kings
:From the beginning unto the end.
:Finis.

==See also==
*[[Secret Book of John#Creation of Adam]]
*[[Creation of the Light of Muhammad]]

==References==
<references/>
*Drower, Ethel S. (1960). ''The Thousand and Twelve Questions: A Mandaean Text (Alf Trisar Šuialia)''. Berlin: Akademie Verlag.

[[Category:Gnosticism]]
[[Category:Mandaeism]]
[[Category:Mysticism]]

Tafsir Pagra - Revision history

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