PLATE ONE
In the province of Śūrasena there was a King named Citraketu, who ruled the entire earth. Although he had millions of wives, by chance he did not receive a child from any of them. One queen, however, having received a benediction from the great sage Aṅgirā, bore the King a son and thus became his most favored wife. This caused her co-wives to become extremely unhappy. These queens, burning with envy and unable to tolerate the King's neglect, poisoned the son. When the King heard of his son's death, he became almost blind and fell at his son's feet. Accompanied by his wife, who was lamenting for her dead child, King Citraketu began crying loudly in grief. While the King lay like a dead body beside his dead son, the two great sages Nārada and Aṅgirā appeared and enlightened him with instructions about spiritual consciousness. Then, by mystic power, the great sage Nārada brought the dead son back into the vision of all the lamenting relatives. The son then spoke to further enlighten the King. ( pp. 12-80 )