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Buddha and Vishnu Avataars

From the Bhakti List Archives

Venkatesh Elayavalli/DCOM • January 3, 1996 


yatindramatadipika, one of the primary texts on visishtadvaitham
does not consider Buddha  as an avataar of vishnu. Vishnu Puraanam,
which is used extensively by Sir Ramaanuja, does not consider Buddha
as an avataar of Vishnu, In fact there a chapter (in H. H. Wilson
Vol1) where it is mentioned that Buddha  and the Bouddhya sect were
defeated by Vishnu, at the request of some of his diehard believers.
The chapter is not very clear as to who or what the Bouddhyas are,
except that they are the group who reject the vedas. 

It is believed that Raama  and Krishna  are the primary avataars,
while the rest are secondary, since in both cases, the establishment
of the dharmaa was the  main reason.

However, i was reading the book titled "The Structural Depths of 
Indian Thought" by P.T. Raju, who includes Buddha as an avataar of
vishnu in place of Krishna. Buddhists completely reject the vedas,
and hence would not even think about considering buddha as an avataar
of Vishnu. The vedaanta schools do not consider buddha as an
avataar. It seems that the majority of authors from outside India 
have the opinion that Buddha was an avataar of Vishnu. It would be 
interesting to find out how this opinion took shape.


-venkatesh