Persian Prose Version of the Book of Righteous Viraz in the Collection of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, RAS
The manuscript C 1869 contains a copy of the anonymous Persian text of <i>Ardāy Vīrāf Nāma-yi nasr</i>. Its analysis shows that it is a relatively early work interesting not only in the context of the history of Zoroastrian literature, but also as an example of the early Persian prose. It represents a version of the famous literary subject different from the well-known Pahlavi version, and moreover, it is possible that, together with one or more variant versions now extinct, it was used for the editing of the only Pahlavi version that has preserved. Further development of the version represented in the Persian prosaic text we find in the epic of the 13<sup>th</sup> century poet Zartusht Bahram, who followed the prosaic original almost word to word. The earliest known copy of the anonymous Persian text of <i>Ardāy Vīrāf Nāma-yi nathr</i> was written in 1527 by the Zoroastrians of Yazd for their Indian brothers in faith. Most of the known copies listed in the article descend from this manuscript of 1527 which is now kept in Naosari, in Mehrji Rana Library.