A question was raised: How can Rudra, the great Lord who is both male and female, ever attain liberation, given that he is associated with unrighteousness, violence, and harmful deeds along with his consort? Surrounded by hosts of spirits and adorned with bones, he achieves neither heaven nor liberation, and the worlds themselves are afflicted as a result. Similarly, how can Viṣṇu, who has resorted to acts of violence, attain liberation? And Brahmā, ever possessed by passion, is occupied with sustaining his own creation. The gods, the sages, and others who follow the Vedic path are, for the most part, violent, cruel, eaters of flesh, and commit sinful actions. These very gods drink liquor, and Brāhmaṇas themselves eat flesh—by such a dharma, who can reach heaven, and how could anyone attain liberation? Even the ritual acts prescribed by tradition—sacrifices and ancestral rites—do not lead to liberation if such teachings are found in the scriptures. If, by performing a sacrifice and killing an animal, staining the ground with blood, one can reach heaven, then by what means does one fall into hell? If, by someone else’s eating, another is satisfied, then surely one could offer ancestral rites for the absent, without partaking of the food oneself. Brāhmaṇas who once traveled through the sky have fallen from grace because of eating flesh; for them, O Dānavas, there is neither heaven nor liberation. For every living being, life is dear; how then could a wise person eat flesh, which is like his own? How do these creatures, born from the womb, serve the womb again? O Lord of the Dānavas, how can they reach heaven through intercourse? If purification is achieved by mere clay and ashes, what true purity is there? See, O Dānava, how perverse the world has become: purification is prescribed by drinking urine from the organ after excretion. O King, when one has eaten, why is there no purification for the mouth and the organ of urination? Just as purification is performed there, so too is this perverse practice established—they cleanse themselves just as prescribed, no matter how odd. Consider also: once, Soma took Tārā, the wife of Bṛhaspati, and from her was born Budha; yet, the teacher took her back again. Indra himself took Ahalyā, the wife of sage Gautama. See how dharma is practiced! Such sinful acts are seen in the world; if this is dharma, what then is the highest truth, in your opinion? Speak, O Lord of the Dānavas, speak again—having heard the words of the teacher, who is endowed with the highest truth. Those Dānavas, curious about their origin and eager to escape the ocean of worldly existence, addressed their teacher: "O teacher, initiate all those who have approached and stand here with devotion. By your command, may we never again fall into delusion; we are thoroughly detached from worldly life, which brings sorrow and confusion. Lift us from this pit by pulling us up by the hair, O foremost of Brāhmaṇas! To which god should we seek refuge? Reveal to us, O wise one, the deity for those who have taken refuge—whether by remembrance, fasting, meditation, or concentration. By offering worship and gifts, may we attain liberation; we are detached from family and will not strive for it again." Thus, as their teacher, he was addressed by the leaders of the Dānavas, and he began to ponder how he might fulfill their request. "How should I, who must deal with these sinful ones dwelling in hell—who are outside the Vedic tradition and objects of ridicule in the three worlds—act?" he thought. After speaking thus, the wise king contemplated Keśava. Janārdana, knowing his thoughts, created an illusion of delusion and handed it to Bṛhaspati, saying, "This illusion will bewilder those Daityas. Together with you, all will be excluded from the Vedic path." Having given these instructions, the Lord disappeared. Those Asuras, devoted to austerities, were overtaken by this illusion of delusion. Approaching them, Bṛhaspati spoke: "For the sake of your favor, pleased by your devotion, I have come here. This yogi is naked, shaven-headed, and adorned with peacock feathers." After the teacher spoke thus, the illusion of delusion addressed the chiefs of the Daityas: "O you engaged in austerity, do you seek the fruit of your austerity for worldly purposes or for something beyond?" The Dānavas replied, "Our practice of austerity is for gaining the dharma of the beyond. We have begun this; what else is intended here?" The naked ascetic replied, "Follow my words if you desire liberation. All this is worthy of the Arhats; the gateway to liberation is open. Liberation comes from dharma; there is no higher path than this. Remaining here, you will attain heaven and liberation by many such means, though these are devoid of the true vision of liberation." Thus, by the illusion of delusion, the Daityas were led away from the Vedic path. For dharma, they practiced adharma; for truth, they followed untruth. This path is not for liberation; though it is said to be the highest truth, it is not truly so. Though it is called duty, it is not really duty; nothing is clear at all. The law for those who wear only a cloth is one thing, and the law for those who wear many garments is another. In this way, under the influence of delusion, they spoke many contradictory doctrines, and all the demons abandoned their own duties. Because of this delusion, they even declared my own law to be worthy; and those who adopted that law became worthy through it.