From the Bhakti List Archives

• June 3, 1999


On Thu, 3 Jun 1999 Sri T.V.Venkatesh wrote:
> 
>                           SrimathE nArAyaNAya namaha
> 
> Sri Krishna wrote :-
> > There is definitely shaastric reference supporting the idea of Buddha being
> > an avataara of Vishnu. In the chapter describing the various descents of the
> > Lord, the following statement can be found in the Bhaagavatam:
> > 
> > tataH kalau sampravR^itte sammohaaya suradviShaam |
> > buddho naamnaajanasutaH kiikaTeShu bhaviShyati || bhaa 1.3.24 ||
> > 
> > When Kali sets in, He will be born in Magadha (North Bihar) as Buddha, son
> > of Ajana, with a view to deluding the enemies of gods (bhaagavata puraaNa
> > 1.3.24).

      No purANa tells us that Gautama Buddha is an incarnation of
BhagavAn. The place of birth and the name of His mother given in BhAgavata
(as quoted above) are quite different from those of Gautama Buddha.
There is one more Buddha who was also an avatAr of VishNu. He seduced the
wives of TripurAsuras. So the story told by BhAgavata and the second story
must be having kalpa bhEdam.

 One of the memebers wondered whether Buddha is saluted by any of the
VaishNava AchAryas. BhadrAchala raghuvara supabhAtam, written in the lines
of SV suprabhAtam, says " tAlAnka krishNa yavanAntaka buddha rUpa" in one
of its verses saluting ten avatAras. Obviously, this Buddha must be one of
the two Buddhas mentioned above and not Gautama Buddha. 

                                                    your servant
                                                     Vishnu