Listen, O gentle one, as the wondrous workings of divine illusion are revealed. The clouds, drawing water from the vast and salty ocean, carry it away to distant lands. In the world, creatures afflicted by disease seek out great medicinal herbs for relief. Yet, even when medicine is administered, sometimes the creature meets its end, for such is the way of destiny. Life begins with the formation of the embryo, and then the person is born into the world. In time, the senses are destroyed; this is the mysterious power of my illusion. Again and again, my illusion manifests, adorned with leaves and other forms. Through this illusion, I release nectar repeatedly, sustaining life. Swift as Garuḍa, I carry myself by myself, traversing the realms. Having created this illusion, I perform sacrifices for the dwellers of heaven, and with the Angirasa illusion, I cause the gods themselves to perform sacrifice. Assuming the Varuṇa illusion, I protect the great ocean; taking the form of Kubera, I guard all wealth. With the Śākra illusion, I slew the mighty Vṛtra. By my illusory power, I fashioned Meru and carry the sun across the sky. As submarine fire, I drink up the waters of the ocean. If people ask, “Where does that water remain?”—by the power of my illusion, it is preserved as medicinal plants within the forest. Through royal illusion, I protect the earth, and entering all beings, I create illusion throughout the world. With a radiant, illusory form, I fill the entire universe. By dissolving illusion, I permeate all things. With endless illusion, I both sustain creation and enter into sleep. Wherever the gods seek refuge, that too is my illusion. O beautiful-hipped one, know that you have been upheld for seventeen floods by this power. Through my illusion, I remain in the waters. Even the gods do not know the nature of my illusion, for they are themselves deluded by it. Truly, I take up the illusion composed of the ancestors. The sage, following this illusion, entered the womb of a woman. With hands joined in reverence, he spoke words of devotion. Again, he obtained womanhood and was placed in a woman’s womb. Whatever sinful act was committed in womanhood by that foremost Brahmin, he responded to the Earth with sweet words. O wide-eyed Rohiṇī, my Māyā is wondrous and hair-raising. She has taken on many forms and paths—some excellent, some middling, some low. Just as, through the foremost of Brāhmaṇas, the origin of women was attained, so too do these mysteries unfold. He was steadfast in my worship and devoted to performing my deeds. Over a long period, I became pleased with him. Then, O goddess, I granted him a supreme vision. “Choose a boon, auspicious one, whatever abides in your heart. Or, if you desire that heaven where happiness and lovely women dwell, speak your wish.” Thus, the story of my illusion and its many forms is told, revealing the endless wonders by which the world is sustained and transformed.