King Kay Khosrow ascended his golden throne, clutching the ancestral ox-headed mace in his hand. At his right side stood Zal of the white hair and Rostam the Champion, formidable as an exalted elephant and a fierce lion. At his left gathered Tus, Goudarz, Gev, Bizhan, and Rohham, their eyes fixed upon their monarch to learn his absolute will concerning the realm and the army.
The King addressed the assembled paladins: 'O illustrious leaders of the age! Whoever is guided by wisdom knows that the good and evil of this world are fleeting. We are all bound to depart this transient inn; why then should we encumber our souls with grief and turmoil? We toil to gather riches, only to leave them behind for others while we ourselves pass into dust. Now that vengeance is satisfied, the true hour of divine reward and retribution has arrived. Fear Almighty God and place no trust in this dark earth, for Time counts every breath a man draws.'
He recalled the ancient sovereigns—Hushang, Jamshid, and King Kavus—who, despite their divine radiance, thrones, and crowns, left nothing behind save their names. 'I too am but a servant like them,' Khosrow declared. 'I have striven and endured immense suffering, only to perceive that no mortal remains forever. Having attained all that I sought, I now uproot my heart from this temporary abode and turn my face away from the Kianian throne. To every champion who laboured in my cause, I shall bestow whatever treasures he desires, and I shall offer thanks for his deeds before God the Omniscient. Wealth, weapons, coin-bags, herds, and entire realms shall be distributed among the Iranian chiefs, for I have prepared my soul's path and purged my heart of darkness.'
Finally, the King commanded his host to revel and feast for a full week. The Iranian heroes listened in utter astonishment; some whispered in bewilderment that the King had lost his senses and that wisdom had abandoned his heart. Yet, the army dispersed across the plains, hills, and mountains. The sounds of flutes and the joyous cries of revelers ascended to the clouds, and for seven straight days, no man harbored sorrow or remembered the burdens of mortality.