“O revered brother,” the disciple implored, “please tell me of the origin of these events, if I am deserving of your favor. Speak to me of that which, when heard, brings merit and destroys sin.” The sage began: “Daksha’s daughters, Diti and Aditi, were his wives. Their sons became rivals, each striving for supremacy over the other. Among the Daityas, the first and most powerful was Hiranyakashipu, the mighty son of Diti. His own son was Virocana, who was renowned for his devotion to the brahmins. Virocana grew into a great leader and became the commander of the Daitya armies. Having conquered the entire earth, Virocana set his sights on winning the heavens as well. His army was unmatched, with each division boasting five hundred elephants—what need is there to describe the rest of his vast and splendid forces? Among his descendants, Bali was blessed with a hundred sons, the eldest of whom was Bāṇa, who equaled his father in valor and might. When Bāṇa and his forces marched to battle, the sky was filled with banners and pennants, making it resemble a mass of storm clouds flashing with lightning. The gods, too, with those wielding thunderbolts and other weapons, came forth for battle as they had in times past. The thunder of drums resounded like the rumbling of clouds at the end of an age. The gods and the Daitya armies clashed in a battle of extreme ferocity. From both sides, a tremendous uproar arose as warriors shouted their battle cries. The rumbling of chariots, the sharp twang of arrows, the clanging of bows, and the crash of weapons filled the world with deafening noise. So great was the tumult that all who witnessed it believed the untimely dissolution of the world had come. The night, shrouded in clouds, flashed with light as if lightning moved across the sky. The swift gods shattered their foes with iron arrows. Some warriors struck horses against horses, while others battered their enemies with maces and staffs. Those among the gods who had drunk the nectar took refuge in their celestial chariots. Assuming divine forms, they rushed upon the Daityas. Fierce in battle, the gods slew the Daityas with a multitude of weapons, eager for Indra’s lordship and the defeat of their enemies. They fought with fire-barriers, knives, spears, wheels, and spikes; with javelins, stones, hundred-slayers, nooses, and palm-sized weapons. The battlefield became crowded with chariots, horses, elephants, and foot soldiers, as eight thousand warriors engaged in a most terrible war. At last, all the gods, abandoning their own realm, fled in fear. Vairochani, ever devoted to Narayana, then ruled over the three worlds. He performed great horse sacrifices, intent on pleasing Vishnu. For the sake of pleasing the gods, such sacrifices are performed by the twice-born, the brahmins. Aditi, mother of the gods, saw her own sons defeated and was overcome with deep distress. For some time she remained seated, lost in sorrow, and continued to stay thus. She subsisted first on fruit, then on fallen leaves, practicing severe austerities. She meditated upon the essence of bliss, contemplating the Self by the Self. Hearing of her relentless austerity, the Daityas, ever cunning, approached Aditi and questioned her: ‘Mother, for what purpose do you perform such penance, exhausting your body? Abandon this, so full of suffering, which only brings about the wasting of the body. The body, after all, must be protected by those who seek the path of dharma.