With hearts full of devotion, the assembled gods bowed before Vasudeva, the stainless and imperishable Lord, who is the root of all seeds, the very form of this universe—unborn, eternal, and the possessor of the supreme state. Their hymn of praise complete, they beheld before them the Supreme Lord Hari, radiant and resplendent, holding the conch, discus, and mace, standing majestically upon Garuda, the king of birds and god of gods. Moved by reverence, all the gods prostrated themselves and implored him, “O Lord, be gracious! 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 commands of Brahma have been disregarded, O Supreme Lord. Though both we and they are your parts, O Lord of all beings, ignorance makes us see the world as divided. We remain devoted to our duties as prescribed by the Vedas, performing austerities and following our ordained path, yet we are unable to destroy these enemies. O immeasurable one, please grant us a means by which we may overcome these Asuras.” Hearing their plea, the blessed Lord Vishnu manifested from his own being the power of delusion, Maya, and bestowed it upon the gods. Then he spoke to them: “This delusion of Maya will bewilder the Daityas. Once led astray from the path of the Veda, they will become fit for destruction. As long as I remain established in the work of preservation, all who become obstacles—be they gods, Daityas, or others—and who transgress the authority of Brahma, are destined to be destroyed. Therefore, do not be afraid. This delusion stands before you; let it go forth for your benefit, according to your will, O gods.” Thus addressed, the gods bowed to the Lord and departed as they had come, taking with them the delusion of illusion. They journeyed to where the great Asuras dwelled. Parāśara continued, “Then, O Maitreya, the delusion of illusion, having arrived, beheld the great Asuras engaged in severe austerities on the banks of the Narmadā river. Assuming a naked form, shaven-headed and adorned with peacock feathers, the delusion spoke gentle words to the Asuras: ‘O lords of the Daityas, tell me, 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, endowed with great understanding, perform these austerities for the attainment of the next world. Or is there something else you wish to say about this?’ The delusion 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 dharma; by it, you may attain heaven or liberation even while remaining here. All of you, mighty ones, are fit for this path.’ With many arguments, cleverly reasoned, the delusion of illusion led the Daityas away from the path of the Veda. ‘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 not the highest truth; this is action, and yet inaction—nothing here is clear. The dharma of the naked is one thing, the dharma of those with many garments is another.’ By presenting such many-sided and indeterminate arguments, the delusion of illusion caused the Daityas to abandon their own dharmas. Because this great dharma was proclaimed by the delusion, the Daityas adopted it and became its followers. Through this influence, they were made to abandon the dharma of the three Vedas. Even I, said Parāśara, became like them, and others were awakened by their example. In this way, by them and others, and by those others still more, within a short time most of the Daityas abandoned the threefold Vedic path. Again, the delusion of illusion, now dressed in red garments and unconquered, approached other Asuras and addressed them with soft and sweet words: ‘If your desire is for heaven, or for liberation, enough of these evil dharmas such as animal sacrifice—listen. Understand that all this is truly made of knowledge alone. Listen well to my words, as spoken by the wise. This world, lacking true foundation, is absorbed in false knowledge and delusion; corrupted by passion and the like, it wanders in the peril of worldly existence.’ Thus, by repeatedly urging, ‘Understand! Awaken! Comprehend in this way!’ the delusion of illusion caused the Daityas to abandon the eternal Dharma. With many kinds of arguments, skillfully arranged, the deluder spoke in various ways, and so the Daityas abandoned their true Dharma, each according to what was presented. In turn, they spread these doctrines to others, who repeated them likewise, so that the supreme Dharma taught in the Vedas and Smṛtis was widely abandoned. By many other forms of false doctrine, the great deluder thoroughly bewildered the Daityas. In a very short time, under the influence of that deluding power, the Asuras, thoroughly confused, completely forsook the teachings based on the threefold Vedic path. Some began to revile the Vedas, others the gods; still others mocked sacrificial rites and the lineage of the twice-born. They spoke words lacking sound reasoning, denying that offerings burned in fire yield any fruit, calling such beliefs childish. ‘If, by many sacrifices, divinity is attained and Indra enjoys it, then if a log is burned, let the animal that eats its leaves also attain that. If the sacrifice of a slain animal is said to grant heaven, then why not kill one’s own father when he sleeps, for the same purpose? If satisfaction arises from food eaten by another, then one should perform śrāddha with faith and food, but travelers would not carry it away.’ Recognizing that people act out of faith, they concluded, ‘Let them disregard words spoken for their own good, if they are pleasing only because they are fabricated.’ Thus, under the power of the delusion of illusion, the Daityas abandoned the eternal Dharma and the path of the Vedas, straying far from the way of righteousness.