DEAR SON, WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU? 81demonstrated that Chachnama cannot be read as a translation of a con-
quest narrative from the eighth century, but rather it is one text,
among many others, of political theory from the early thirteenth
century. How is political theory applied in Chachnamat This chapter
argues that advice-dialogic, didactic, and demonstrative-is the mode
for presenting a theory of politics in Chachnama. Letters are the pri-
mary means for communicating advice in the text; they are the clearest
articulation of Chachnama's theory of politics. Like Murad Sahib
and the people he represents, in Chachnama there is an affective re-
lationship between the advice giver and those who seek advice. This
relationship is based on affinity, friendship, and a shared ethical frame-
work. Chachnama should be read as a series of relationships within
which advice is given, received, and contested.
What are these advice encounters like? What vision of politics
does the advice in Chachnama put forth? I suggest that the letters
represent a theory of governance and political theory that fore-
grounds accommodation and the building of alliances for ruling
diverse communities in the thirteenth century. The letters demon-
strate that a primary concern for Chachnama is differences between
religious communities, political actors, and social classes. The first
part of this chapter is a close reading of various letters in the text. In
the second part, I consider how treating Chachnama as advice liter-
ature may put it in conversation with other forms of advice litera-
ture. In situating Chachnama in the genre of advice literature-in
Arabic, Persian, and Sanskrit-I suggest that there are multiple in-
tellectual genealogies that Chachnama draws upon to craft its po-
litical theory.
Advice for Divine Rule
Chachnama begins with a letter writer arriving at the court of Rai Si-
hasi in Aror, "the capital of Hind and Sind."^3 He introduces himself to
Chamberl11in Ram and Minister Budhiman thus: "My name is Chach,
son of the temple priest Sala'ij. My father and brother live and serve at
the temple at the outskirts of Aror and pray for the benevolence and
extension of the rule of Rai Sihasi. I want to meet Minister Ram
because he is recognized far and wide due to his wisdom and his capa-
bility. I want to work under him."^4