The Formal Structure of Dasātīr

Dasātīr is counted among the essential books of the School of Āzarkeyvān. The subjects it covers and the language it employs have secured it the title of Āzarkeyvānian’ Sacred Scripture. The present article demonstrates that Dasātīr utilizes a particular mode for arranging and articulating its content. More specifically, the text is structured as follows: each of the sixteen parts of Dasātīr opens with two similar clauses, inspired by Quranic doctrines. The first clause draws inspiration from the Istiʽādha expression (seeking refuge with Allah) that Muslims utter before reciting the Quran. The second clause is designed with the Islamic phrase "Bismillah i Rahman i Rahim” (in the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful) in mind. However, what distinguishes every letter is its third clause which differs from the third clauses of the previous and following sections. While adding little substantive content to the earlier chapters, these two recurrent clauses help differentiate various parts of the letter, categorizing different themes. Therefore, rather than substantively contributing to Dasātīr, these clauses compose a specific configuration throughout the book. In the second part, the article suggests that the letter of MahĀbād is not only the lengthiest letter of Dasātīr in terms of the number of clauses, but also the most important and prominent among them. Furthermore, recurrent references and textual evidence indicate that other letters of Dasātīr also conform to the letter of MahĀbād. In what follows, the article demonstrates that the letters of Golshāh, Siāmak, Tahmures, Fereydun, Manuchihr, and KayKhosraw are similar in remarkable ways. As a result, we can corroborate their periodization into the Dasātīr sub-age. Finally, through comparison, the article substantiates the dissonance between the first Sāsān's and Dasātīr’s other letters. It then sets forth the hypothesis that perhaps the contents of the said letter are derivative and non-original.