The Asut Malkia[1] ("Salutation of Kings"[2]) or Asiet Malkia is one of the most commonly recited prayers in Mandaeism. In the prayer, the reciter wishes health and victory (asuta u-zakuta ࡀࡎࡅࡕࡀ ࡅࡆࡀࡊࡅࡕࡀ) upon dozens of heavenly and ancestral figures. According to E. S. Drower, it is recited daily by priests and also before all baptisms (masbuta), ritual meals (lofani), and various rites.
The Asut Malkia is numbered as Prayer 105 in E. S. Drower's version of the Qulasta, which was based on manuscript 53 of the Drower Collection (abbreviated DC 53).[3]
Asut or asuta can be literally translated as 'healing', while malkia means 'kings' (singular form: malka).[1]
Similarly, Mandaeans typically greet each other with the phrase:[1]
Asuta nihwilkun (myz|ࡀࡎࡅࡕࡀ ࡍࡉࡄࡅࡉࡋࡊࡅࡍ|lit=Healing be upon you (pl.))
The response would typically be:[1]
Asawata ḏ-Hiia nihwilak (myz|ࡀࡎࡀࡅࡀࡕࡀ ࡖࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡍࡉࡄࡅࡉࡋࡀࡊ|lit=All healings of the Living One(s) be upon you (sg.))
The formula asuta u-zakuta nihuilkun (ࡀࡎࡅࡕࡀ ࡅࡆࡀࡊࡅࡕࡀ ࡍࡉࡄࡅࡉࡋࡊࡅࡍ "health and victory are yours") is recited dozens of times in the prayer before the names of each uthra or set of uthras, Hayyi Rabbi, some of the prophets, and the reciter himself, almost all of whom are addressed as malka (ࡌࡀࡋࡊࡀ "king").
Drower's (1937) version lists the following uthras, etc.[4]
The word niṭufta (spelled niṭupta) originally means 'drop' and has sometimes also been translated as 'cloud'. It is also often used as an appellation to refer to the consorts of uthras.[5]
Drower's (1959) version, which differs from the version in Drower (1937), lists the following uthras, etc.[3]
Below is a list of names and entities mentioned in the Asut Malkia, from Majid Fandi Al-Mubaraki's Qulasta (volume 2),[6] as edited by Matthew Morgenstern and Ohad Abudraham in the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon.[7] Some names are addressed with the title Malka ("King"), while others are not. It is longer than Drower's version and is currently the most commonly used version recited by contemporary Mandaeans.
Below is the full transliterated Mandaic text of the above. The recurring formula asuta u-zakuta|lit=healing and victory is repeated 66 times.[7]