The might of the Daityas had grown so terrible that, O best of the twice-born, their fire consumed even the gods with Indra and the very trees themselves, as if a raging forest fire swept through, leaving nothing but ashes in its wake. The gods, devastated by this destruction, turned to Hari, the Lord of the gods, whose splendor knows no equal, and approached him with reverent praise, seeking his help. The glorious Nārāyaṇa, seeing their plight, pondered deeply within himself: “What should be done for the sake of the gods?” Thus did the Lord consider their deliverance. Janārdana, the very embodiment of sacrifice, remembered the ancient rites—he who is both the enjoyer of sacrifice and the giver of its fruits, the master of all sacrificial ceremonies. With this remembrance, the gods bowed to the divine Person and offered their praises, hoping for the accomplishment of their purpose. The Blessed Lord, seeing the eternal sacrifice before him, spoke; and the eternal Acyuta, beholding the gods gathered with Indra, addressed them with compassion and wisdom. He said, “O gods, approach and worship the Supreme Lord in this way, for only through this worship can the three cities be destroyed and power over the three worlds be manifested.” Hearing the wise counsel of the Lord of gods, the gods raised a mighty roar of approval and again praised the Lord of sacrifice with heartfelt devotion. Thereafter, the blessed Janārdana, having reflected further, spoke once more to all the assembled gods, he who is the Lord of the immortals: “Even if one kills, burns, or consumes beings unjustly, if he worships Mahadeva, he becomes free from sin—of this there is no doubt. The sinless must never be slain; only the sinful, without doubt, should be killed with all effort. How could the best of gods be fit for killing? The Asuras, though arrogant and sinful, are not to be slain by the mighty gods; therefore, due to the power of Rudra, the Supreme Lord, they must not be killed.” He continued, “Who am I, or Brahma, or the gods, or the Daityas, or even the slayers of the enemies of the gods, or the great sages—who are any of us without the grace of the Lord? He who is the twenty-seventh, the eternal, the supreme among the supreme, Lord of the universe and the immortals, worthy of worship, the supporter of all, the great Lord—he alone, the Lord of all gods and benefactor of all, by his play divides the gods and the lords of the Daityas. By worshipping even a portion of him, the gods have attained divinity, Brahma has become Brahma, and I myself have become Vishnu.” Janārdana then asked, “Who in this world, without worshipping him, could desire success? Therefore, by the rite of worshipping the Linga, it is by him alone that the Daityas must be slain. All of them are established in righteousness, in both Vedic and Smriti rites; yet, by the fierce approach of the sacrificer, having duly worshipped Rudra, we shall conquer the foremost of the Daityas. Tripura, protected by the virtuous-eyed Maya, secure and shining like crystal—who indeed is capable of destroying it except for the one Lord with three eyes?” Having thus spoken, Hari performed the sacrificial approach and sat down, beholding thousands upon thousands of hosts of beings. He saw them armed with tridents, spears, maces, axes, stones, and all manner of weapons, adorned in diverse and wondrous forms. They resembled the fire of destruction itself, like Rudra at the end of time. The Lord Hari, bowing in reverence, addressed those who stood before him, saying, “Having burned, pierced, and consumed the three cities of the Daityas, you heroes should return as you came, for the benefit of all beings.” The hosts of beings, having bowed to the Lord of gods, entered the three cities and perished there, like moths drawn to a flame. By the command of the Lord, all these beings perished; yet the Daityas, by the thousands, danced, rejoiced, and sang, believing themselves triumphant. They praised the Lord of gods, the Supreme Self, and the gods—having been defeated and their strength destroyed in a moment—were left bewildered. Once more, joined by Indra, the gods approached Upendra, the Lord of gods, and, out of fear, the Blessed Supreme Person saw them and began to reflect. Afflicted, he wondered, “What should be done?” and, seeing the gods with Indra in distress, he considered: “How, by effort, can the strength of those Daityas be destroyed? By the grace of the Supreme Lord, I will accomplish the task of the gods; there is no sin in acting righteously—of this there is no doubt for the virtuous. Therefore, those Daityas are not to be slain by beings born of ritual or by spirits; sin is dispelled by righteousness, and all is established in righteousness.” “This is the eternal teaching: sovereignty comes from righteousness; and all these Daityas, the inhabitants of Tripura, are indeed devoted to righteousness. Therefore, O best of the twice-born, they have attained inviolability; even if they commit great sin, those who worship Rudra are not otherwise. By worship, they are freed from all sins, just as a lotus leaf is untouched by water; and, O twice-born, enjoyment and prosperity surely arise. Therefore, those Daityas, devoted to the worship of the Linga, are enjoyers; thus, by creating an obstacle to their righteousness, O gods, I, by my own power—for the sake of the gods’ purpose, will conquer Tripura and the Daityas in a moment.” Having resolved thus, the Blessed Supreme Person decided to create an obstacle to the righteousness of the enemies of the gods. The mighty Achyuta then created from himself a person of great brilliance, magical and composed of illusion, for the express purpose of obstructing their righteousness. This magician, able to assume any form at will, composed a scripture for all, filled with delusion, captivating the minds of all and accompanied by apparent proofs. To this being, born from his own body, Achyuta taught the illusory scripture—sixteen thousand verses, magical and full of illusion. This scripture stood in opposition to Vedic and Smriti tradition, disregarding caste and stage of life, and taught that heaven and hell exist only here on earth, and not otherwise. Having taught this scripture to his creation, Achyuta, for the destruction of the three cities, instructed him further, and Hari spoke thus.