82 DEAR SON, WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?The archetypal names for the courtiers-Budhiman, meaning
"wise one," and Ram, the deity-highlight the normative power of
their characteristic noted in the text: power, wisdom, and political ao-
tion. Upon hearing Chach, the chamberlain praises his eloquent ~peech
and asks him to speak of his training in the "arts of right conduct"
and in the "arts of writing." Chach replies, "I have at my tongue the
four books of Hind-Rg, Jj, Asam, Asrin."^5 As they converse, letters
petitioning resolution arrive from the port city of Daybul. The cham-
berlain gives these letters to Chach, who reads them aloud in exqui-
site form and composes replies, demonstrating his vocabulary. The
chamberlain is impressed and appoints Chach as his assistant in the
epistolary office (daftar-e in.sha'). This is how Chachnama narrates
the beginning of Chach's life at court: as a letter writer who advances
quickly because of his wisdom.
From this beginning, the significance of letters, of letter writing,
and of the utility of both to the art of governance is apparent in
Chachnama. The letters-sometimes referred to in the Arabic rasa'il
and sometimes in the Persian maktubat or nabishtah-are the most
consistent narrative device throughout the text. They explicate, inform,
propel, and shape the narrative and serve as the main demonstrative
space for the political theory of governance. At key points, Chachnama
quotes complete letters, such as that between Chach and his brother;
between Chach's son Dahar and his brother Daharsia; between Hajjaj
bin Yusuf.md the Caliph; between Muhammad bin Qasim and Dahar;
and most prolifically, between Hajjaj bin Yusuf and Muhammad bin
Qasim. In all, Chachnama reproduces more than forty letters, often
including full salutations and dedications.
In the following sections, I discuss two sets of letters and the way
in which they lay out key features of the political theory of Chachnama:
the role of advisors, the role of divine will, the importance of human
agency, and the need to be just toward others. These letters need to be
read in pairs because they represent the working out of a dialogic rela-
tionship between actors in Chachnama. They are the conversation
through which one can see difference being narrated, asserted, and
negotiated.
The crisis of succession is the most vivid political crisis in
Chachnama. It is in this crisis that we see the clearest articulation of