Seven years of Yazdegerd the Sinner's harsh reign had passed, casting a heavy pall of sorrow over the Mobads and nobles of Iran. As the eighth year opened and the sun illuminated the month of Farvardin, on the auspicious day of Hormoz, a child of radiant fortune was born. Yazdegerd named his infant son Bahram and rejoiced in his birth. Immediately, the king summoned the realm's most learned astrologers to decipher the child's destiny from the heavens. Among them stood two preeminent scholars: Soroush, the wise leader of the Indian sages, and Hoshiyar, a brilliant Persian astronomer capable of bridling the celestial spheres with his intellect. Utilizing astrolabes and Roman astronomical tables, they mapped the cosmos and unraveled the secrets of the prince's natal star.
The astrologers revealed that Bahram was destined to become a sovereign over all seven climes of the earth—a righteous, pious, and joyful monarch blessed with divine grace. Overflowing with pride, Yazdegerd showered the stargazers with precious royal gems. Yet, once the astrologers departed, the high Mobads and wise counselors gathered in deep reflection. They feared that if the young prince inherited his father's cruel nature, he would overturn the kingdom and plunge the world into darkness, leaving neither peasant nor paladin in peace. Returning to the king, they urged him to seek a noble and virtuous foster-parent from a distant land, so that the boy might be reared far from corrupting vices and trained in wisdom and righteousness.
Yazdegerd heeded their counsel and dispatched emissaries to Rome, India, China, and the Arab lands to search for an exemplary guardian. Wise men and emissaries from every corner of the world journeyed to the Sasanian court. Among them arrived the noble Arab rulers Numan and Munzir, accompanied by illustrious chieftains and scholars. Standing before the throne, Munzir pledged their unyielding fealty, extolling his people's mastery of horsemanship, warfare, and astronomy. He humbly petitioned to take Prince Bahram under his care, promising to raise him into a heroic, virtuous, and formidable ruler who would bring glory to the empire.