Listen now to how the Daityas, the mighty asuras, were led astray by the workings of illusion. In those days, confusion reigned: what seemed the highest truth was declared not the highest; action was presented as inaction, and nothing was clear. The dharma of those who went unclad was said to differ from those robed in many garments. All distinctions and certainties began to blur. It was through such tangled and many-sided arguments—full of uncertainty and ambiguity—that the power of illusion, Māyā herself, sowed delusion among the Daityas, O twice-born. Persuaded by this confusion, the asuras began to abandon their own sacred duties, forsaking the dharmas that had long guided them. Embracing the doctrine proclaimed by illusion, they became its followers, turning away from the dharma of the three Vedas. I too, swept up in this delusion, became like them, and they, in turn, awakened the same confusion in others. Thus, from one to another, and then to many more, the asuras quickly abandoned the threefold Vedic path in just a few days. Once more, the personified illusion, now clad in red garments and unconquered, approached other asuras. With gentle, sweet, and persuasive words, she addressed them: “If you desire heaven, O asuras, or if you seek liberation, then away with these evil dharmas—such as animal sacrifice. Hear me. “Know that all this is truly knowledge alone. Listen well, as the wise have spoken: this world, lacking a true foundation, is absorbed in false knowledge and delusion; corrupted by passion and attachment, it wanders in peril through worldly existence.” With such proclamations—urging, “Understand! Awaken! Comprehend in this way!”—illusion led the Daityas to abandon the eternal, unborn Dharma. With skillfully arranged arguments, she spoke in many ways, and each asura, hearing these words, gave up his true dharma according to the manner in which it was presented to him. Those who were convinced passed these teachings on to others, and so it spread, until the supreme Dharma taught in the Vedas and Smṛtis was widely forsaken. By countless forms of false doctrine, O twice-born, the great deluder thoroughly bewildered the Daityas. And in a very short time, under the sway of this illusion, the asuras became utterly confused and abandoned the teachings rooted in the threefold Vedic path. Some began to revile the Vedas, others mocked the gods, while still others ridiculed sacrificial rites and the lineage of the twice-born. Their words, lacking sound reasoning, could not uphold Dharma. They scoffed: “It is childish to believe that offerings burned in fire yield fruit. “If, by many sacrifices, divinity is attained and Indra enjoys it, then let a log burned in fire grant heaven to the animal that eats its leaves. If the sacrifice of a slain animal grants heaven, then why not kill one’s own father as he sleeps, for the same result? If satisfaction comes from food eaten by another, then let travelers not take food with them—let śrāddha rites suffice.” Recognizing that people often act out of faith, they said, “Let them disregard words spoken for their good if those words are pleasing only because they are fabricated. Great asuras, words not grounded in truth do not fall from the sky; only statements with reasoning, spoken by me or others like you, should be accepted.” In this way, by many such means, the Daityas were led astray by deluding illusion, and none of them found joy in the threefold Vedic path. When the Daityas had thus strayed from righteousness, the gods, making every effort, gathered together for battle. Once again, there was a great war between gods and asuras. The asuras, who now obstructed the path of righteousness, were slain by the gods. Among the asuras, the one who first wore the armor of his own Dharma had once protected them. But when he perished, they could no longer prevail. Therefore, O Maitreya, those who remained steadfast on the righteous path were not harmed by those who had abandoned the Vedic discipline in vain. The four stages of life are these: the student, the householder, the forest-dweller, and the renunciate—there is no fifth. One who leaves household life but does not become a forest-dweller or renunciate, O Maitreya, is deemed sinful. O Brahmin, neglect of daily duties leads to constant loss; one who fails to perform his prescribed actions, though able, falls from righteousness that very day. If there is no calamity, one who has neglected daily rites must perform a great expiatory offering to regain purity. If someone neglects his duties for a year, he is considered impure, and the virtuous should avoid contact with such a person. Touching a woman or even her clothes is a cause of impurity, O wise one; and there is no purification for one who acts sinfully. If the deities, sages, ancestors, and spirits depart unhonored from his house, such a person cannot be considered virtuous in this world. One whose body and home are defiled by the breath of gods and others should not mingle with household utensils and furniture. By conversation, deference, or laughter with such a person, a Brahmin becomes his equal for a year. If one eats in his house, sits with him, or sleeps in the same bed, he immediately becomes equal to him. One who eats without honoring deities, ancestors, spirits, and guests incurs sin—what expiation is there for him? Those of the Brahmin and other castes who turn away from their own duty and remain in inferior actions are called “impure.” Where there is complete mixing of the four castes, O Maitreya, it harms those of virtuous conduct. One who eats without honoring sages, gods, ancestors, spirits, and guests falls into hell, along with those who even converse with him. Thus, O Maitreya, the consequences of abandoning dharma and the Vedic path are dire, as revealed through the story of the Daityas and the workings of illusion. Let this be a warning and a guide to all who seek righteousness.