You are earth, water, fire, air, and space; you are the inner sense, the primordial matter, and the supreme spirit beyond them. O Soul of all beings, this one form of yours is composed of both the manifest and the unmanifest. O Lord, that form of yours which first arose from the lotus of your navel for the benefit of the universe—to that Brahman-form we offer homage. As you manifest as Indra, the Sun, Rudra, the Vasus, the Aśvins, the Maruts, Soma, and others, so too do we; to that divine Self we offer homage. That form of yours, O Govinda, which is inclined to hypocrisy, ignorance, lacking patience and self-control—to that daitya-form we offer homage. That form of yours in which knowledge does not predominate, where the senses are sluggish, and which is greedy for sound and the like—to that yakṣa-form we offer homage. That terrible, cruel, and dark form of yours, full of illusion, O Supreme Person, which is the form of night-wanderers—to that form we offer homage. That form of yours, O Janārdana, which abides in heaven, is the abode of righteousness, and brings about the fruits of virtue—to that dharma-form we offer homage. That form of yours, called Siddha, which is mostly joyful, unattached, and moves freely wherever it wishes—to that siddha-form we offer homage. That form of yours, O Hari, which is exceedingly patient, fierce, and full of enjoyment, with a forked tongue—to that nāga-form we offer homage. That form of yours, O Viṣṇu, which is awakened, peaceful, faultless, and free from sin—the form of a seer—to that form we offer homage. That form of yours, O Lotus-eyed One, which at the end of the aeon devours all beings that are enveloped—to that time-form we offer homage. Homage to that Rudra-self, who, having devoured all beings, including gods and others without distinction, dances at the end in that very form. O Janardana, homage to that form of yours, the soul of man, which, through the activity of rajas, is the agent of all actions. Homage to that form of yours, O all-pervading one, which is tamasic, associated with twenty-eight forms, wandering outside the path, the soul of beasts. Homage to that principal self, whose form is a limb of sacrifice, the means for the accomplishment of the world, and which divides trees and others. Homage to that universal self, whose form is the origin of all—animals, humans, gods, the sky, sound, and so forth. Homage to the cause of causes, to that primal form of yours, which is beyond all, distinct from matter, intellect, and the rest, and is not comparable to anything else. O Lord, we bow to that form of yours, pure, supremely pure, seen by the highest seers, which is free from whiteness, length, density, and other qualities, and beyond the reach of attributes. We bow to that form, the essence of Brahman, which is unborn and imperishable, present in our bodies, in other bodies, and in all beings, and apart from which nothing else exists. We bow to Vasudeva, the stainless Lord, the imperishable, the root of all seeds, whose form is this entire universe, unborn, eternal, and possessed of the supreme state. At the conclusion of this hymn, the gods beheld the Supreme Lord, Hari, holding conch, discus, and mace, standing upon Garuda, the god of gods. All the gods, led by reverent prostration, addressed him: “Be gracious, O God! Protect us from the Daityas, for we have come to you for refuge. The three worlds and the shares of sacrifice have been seized by the Daityas, led by Hrada. Even the command of Brahma has been violated, O Supreme Lord. Although we and they are all your parts, O Lord of all beings, still, due to the difference of ignorance, we perceive the world as divided. Devoted to the duties of our own order, following the path of the Vedas, and endowed with austerity, we are unable to slay those enemies. O immeasurable one, you ought to grant us a means by which, O Lord, we may be able to destroy those Asuras.” Thus addressed, the Blessed Lord produced from his own body the delusion of Maya and gave it to them. Then Vishnu spoke these words to the best of the gods: “This delusion of Maya will bewilder all those Daityas; then, excluded from the path of the Veda, they will become fit for destruction. As long as I remain established in the work of preservation, all those who are obstacles—gods, Daityas, and others—who transgress the authority of Brahma, are fit to be destroyed. Therefore, do not be afraid; this delusion of illusion stands before you. Let it go now, for your benefit, by your own will, O gods.” Thus addressed, the gods bowed to him and departed as they had come; and the delusion of illusion went with them to where the great asuras were. Parāśara said to Maitreya: Then, the delusion of illusion, having gone, saw the great asuras engaged in austerities, dwelling on the banks of the Narmadā. Then, naked, shaven-headed, and wearing peacock feathers, the delusion of illusion spoke gentle words to the asuras: “O lords of the daityas, tell me for what purpose you perform austerities. Do you desire the fruit of asceticism for this world or for the next?” The asuras replied, “We, of great understanding, have undertaken these austerities for the attainment of the fruit of the next world. Or is there something else you wish to say about this?” The delusion of illusion said, “If you desire liberation, then follow my words. You are worthy of this dharma, which is the gateway to liberation. This dharma is worthy of liberation; there is nothing higher than this. Remaining here itself, you will attain heaven or liberation. All of you, mighty ones, are worthy of this dharma.” In this way, with many arguments strengthened by reasoning, the delusion of illusion led the daityas away from the path of the Veda. “This is for dharma, that is for adharma; this is real, that is unreal—so it is said. But for liberation, this is not the way; do not seek liberation in this manner.