PLATE ONE
“Prince Priyavrata was a great devotee because he sought the lotus feet of Nārada, his spiritual master, and thus achieved the highest perfection in transcendental knowledge. The Prince’s father, Svāyambhuva Manu, asked him to take charge of ruling the world. He tried to convince Priyavrata that this was his duty as indicated in the revealed scriptures. Prince Priyavrata, however, was continuously practicing  bhakti-yoga  and therefore, although the order of his father could not be rejected, the Prince did not welcome it. Thus he very conscientiously raised the question of whether he might be diverted from devotional service by accepting the responsibility of ruling over the world. The first created being and most powerful demigod in this universe is Lord Brahmā, who is always responsible for developing universal affairs. This supremely powerful Lord Brahmā, accompanied by his associates and the personified  Vedas , left his own abode in the highest planetary system and descended to the place of Prince Priyavrata’s meditation to convince Priyavrata that it was necessary for him to follow the Vedic injunctions and accept the responsibility of ruling over the world. Lord Brahmā, the father of Nārada Muni, is the supreme person within this universe. As soon as Nārada saw the great swan, he could understand that Lord Brahmā had arrived. Therefore he immediately stood up, along with Svāyambhuva Manu and his son Priyavrata, whom Nārada was instructing. Then they folded their hands and began to worship Lord Brahmā with great respect.” ( pp. 11–17 )