In the assembly of gods and sages, a grave discussion unfolded about the fate of the Daityas, the powerful inhabitants of Tripura. The wise counsel was clear: the sinless must never be slain, only the sinful should be killed with all effort; how could the best of gods be fit for killing? Even though the Asuras were arrogant and sinful, the mighty gods were not permitted to slay them, for the power of Rudra, the Supreme Lord, protected them. A profound realization dawned: who among us—be it myself, Brahma, the gods, the Daityas, the slayers of the enemies of the gods, or even the great sages—could achieve anything without the grace of the Lord? He, the twenty-seventh, eternal, supreme among the supreme, Lord of the universe and the immortals, worthy of worship, supporter of all, the great Lord, is the true source of all power. It was he alone, the Lord of all gods, the beneficent one, who, through his divine play, divided the gods and the lords of the Daityas. By worshipping even a portion of him, the gods attained divinity, Brahma became Brahma, and I attained the state of Vishnu. Who in this world, without worshipping him, could hope for success? Thus, through the rite of worshipping the Linga, only he can slay the Daityas. All are established in righteousness, both in Vedic and Smriti rites. Yet, by the fierce approach of the sacrificer who has 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 spoken thus, Hari performed the sacrificial approach and sat down, beholding thousands of hosts of beings. He saw them holding tridents, spears, maces, axes, stones, and various weapons, adorned in diverse forms. They resembled the fire of destruction, like Rudra at the end of time. Lord Hari, after bowing, addressed those who stood before him: “Having burned, pierced, and consumed the three cities of the Daityas, you heroes should return as you came, for the benefit of beings.” Then, having bowed to the Lord of gods, the hosts of beings entered the three cities and perished, like moths in a flame. By the command of the Lord of the gods, all those beings perished; the Daityas, by the thousands, danced, rejoiced, and sang. They praised the Lord of gods, the Supreme Self, the Lord, while the gods, defeated and their strength destroyed in a moment, joined by Indra, approached Upendra, the Lord of gods. Out of fear, the Blessed Supreme Person, seeing them, began to reflect. Afflicted, he wondered, “What should be done?” Seeing the distressed gods with Indra, he considered: “How, by effort, can the strength of those Daityas be destroyed?” He resolved, “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.” He further reasoned, “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 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 considered thus, the Blessed Supreme Person resolved to create an obstacle to the righteousness of the enemies of the gods. The mighty Achyuta then created a person of great brilliance, born from himself, magical and composed of illusion, for the purpose of obstructing their righteousness. This magician, able to assume any form at will, composed a scripture for all, filled with delusion, captivating all, and accompanied by apparent proof. To this person, born from his own body, Achyuta taught this illusory scripture, composed of sixteen thousand verses, magical and full of illusion. This scripture opposed the Vedic and Smriti tradition, was devoid of caste and stage of life, and taught that heaven and hell are here alone, and not otherwise. Having taught this scripture to the person, Achyuta himself, for the destruction of the three cities, instructed him: “Go quickly, O you, to destroy the inhabitants of the cities; let the Vedic and Smriti-based righteousness perish—of this there is no doubt.” Then, having bowed to him, the magician, expert in the illusory scripture, quickly entered the city, and the sage performed his magic there. By his illusion, those Daityas dwelling in the triple city abandoned both Vedic and traditional duties and became his disciples at that time. They also abandoned the great god Mahadeva, Shankara, the Supreme Lord; even Narada, by the command of that lord of illusion, acted under delusion. Entering the city with the magician, the sage was initiated, surrounded on all sides by his disciples and sub-disciples. He performed the duties of women, which yield the results of difficult acts; those women, having obtained immediate results, always practiced them. They became attached to worldly life, reviling the worship of husbands as deities; even today, out of respect for that sage Narada, this persists in the Kali age. Women, abandoning their husbands, behave freely and basely; for women, mother, father, relative, friend, companion, and kin—the husband alone is without doubt all these. Yet, by the power of illusion, even after committing great sin, if a woman is united with love for her husband, she attains the highest heaven, or, by the opposite, hell. In one city, O best of sages, women always regard their husband as all duties. Thus, through divine strategy and illusion, the righteousness of the Daityas was obstructed, paving the way for the fulfillment of the gods’ purpose.