With deep reverence, the sages and gods offered their salutations to the many forms of Lord Viṣṇu. They bowed to His awakened, peaceful, and flawless form—the pure seer, untouched by sin. They honored His time-form, the Lotus-eyed One who, at the end of each aeon, devours all beings within the cosmic dissolution. They paid homage to that Rudra-self, who, having consumed all creation—gods and mortals alike—dances at the end of time in that very form. Turning to Janardana, they saluted His aspect as the soul of humanity, the agent of all actions through the force of rajas. They honored His tamasic form, pervading all, associated with twenty-eight manifestations, the soul of beasts, wandering outside the righteous path. They bowed to His principal self, the sacrificial limb, the means by which the world is accomplished, and the power that divides trees and other forms of life. With devotion, they worshipped the universal self, the origin of all: animals, humans, gods, the sky, sound, and more. They saluted the cause of all causes, that primal form which is beyond matter, intellect, and all else—unmatched and incomparable. They bowed to His purest form, seen only by the highest seers, which is free from all attributes, beyond color, length, density, and any quality. Their salutations continued to the essence of Brahman—unborn and imperishable—present in their own bodies, in all others, and in all beings, apart from which nothing exists. They worshipped Vasudeva, the stainless Lord, imperishable root of all seeds, whose very form is the entire universe, eternal and possessed of the supreme state. As their hymn concluded, a wondrous vision appeared: the Supreme Lord Hari, standing upon Garuda, radiant and resplendent, holding conch, discus, and mace—the God of gods Himself. All the assembled deities, with deep humility, bowed to Him and pleaded, “Be gracious, O Lord! 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. Though we and they are all Your parts, O Lord of all beings, ignorance creates the illusion of division among us. Engaged in our own duties, following the Vedas and practicing austerity, we are unable to defeat these enemies. O immeasurable One, grant us a means by which we may overcome the Asuras.” Hearing their plea, the Blessed Lord manifested from His own being the power of Māyā—delusion—and bestowed it upon them. Viṣṇu spoke to the best of the gods: “This delusion of Māyā will bewilder all those Daityas. Excluded from the path of the Veda, they will become fit for destruction. As long as I am engaged in the work of preservation, all who become obstacles—gods, Daityas, and others—who defy the authority of Brahma, are destined for destruction. Therefore, do not fear; this delusion of illusion stands before you. Let it go forth for your benefit, O gods, by your own will.” The gods, reassured, bowed to Him and departed as they had come, taking the delusion of illusion with them to the realm of the great Asuras. Parāśara continued: “O Maitreya, the delusion of illusion went to where the mighty Asuras were practicing austerities on the banks of the Narmadā. There, appearing naked, shaven-headed, and adorned with peacock feathers, the delusion of illusion addressed the Daityas with gentle words: ‘O lords of the Daityas, for what purpose do you perform these austerities? Do you seek the fruits of asceticism for this world or the next?’ The Daityas replied, ‘We, of great understanding, undertake these austerities for the rewards of the next world. Or do you have something else to say about this?’ The delusion of illusion responded, ‘If you desire liberation, then follow my words. You are worthy of this dharma, which is the gateway to liberation. There is nothing higher than this; by remaining here, you will attain heaven or liberation. All of you, mighty ones, are worthy of this dharma.’ With many arguments and clever reasoning, the delusion of illusion gradually led the Daityas away from the Vedic path. ‘This is dharma, that is 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. This is the highest truth, and yet it is not; this is action, and yet it is inaction—thus, nothing here is clear. The dharma of the naked is one thing, and the dharma of those with many garments is another.’ Through such many-sided, ambiguous arguments, the delusion of illusion caused the Daityas to abandon their own duties. The Asuras adopted this new ‘dharma’ and became its followers. By the power of delusion, they were made to forsake the dharma of the three Vedas; even Parāśara himself, narrating this, became like them, and others were awakened by them. By their influence, and by those they influenced, and so on, within a short time, most of the Daityas abandoned the threefold Vedic path. Once more, wearing red garments, the unconquered delusion of illusion went to other Asuras and addressed them with soft, sweet words: ‘If your desire is for heaven or liberation, then enough of these evil dharmas like animal sacrifice—listen. Know that all this is truly of knowledge alone. Listen well to my words, as spoken by the wise. This world, lacking a true foundation, is absorbed in false knowledge and delusion; corrupted by passions, it wanders in the peril of worldly existence.’ Thus, proclaiming, ‘Understand! Awaken! Comprehend in this way!’ the delusion of illusion caused the Daityas to abandon the unborn, eternal Dharma.