The concept of Buddha-Avatara (incarnation)

Buddha is universally believed to be an incarnate personality. Historically he is known as the founder of the school of Buddhism. But a question remains unanswered whether historical Buddha is the same as incarnate of Lord Visnu which is declared in the puranic texts. From the historic investigations it is very clear that Gautama Buddha was born in 560 B.C. in Kapilavastu near the Himalayas. His father was Suddhodana. He was born in the family of the Sakyas. The real name of Buddha was Siddhartha. Suddodana brought up his son in such a way that he should not be subjected to any sort of mental pain or worry. So he kept Buddha

355 aloof from the outer world. Thus, he spent his childhood in comfort and pleasure. Once by chance he happened to see a sick, an old man and a dead body. The sight made him thoughtful. He began to think upon a way to remove sorrow and pain from the world and bring about peace and comfort. The change that appeared in the son worried the father. So at the age of sixteen he made Siddhartha marrried with Yasodhara. A son was born to them. But the mind of Siddhartha was restless, distressed and agitated. One day, Siddhartha discarded everything and went out of the palace alone. Siddhartha wandered from place to place learning from various teachers. But he did not find peace. Once on a full moon day, while he was sitting in meditation under a banian tree he got Bodha. From that day onwards, he began to know by the name of Buddha. After that he came to Kasi, and told his disciples how he got Bodha or convinction. The number of his followers increased day by day. Thus Buddhism came into being. Buddha said that the reason for pain and sorrow in the world was desire, and that sorrow could be eterminated only by controlling and overcoming all desire. To atain Eternal Bliss, one should be true and righteous in thought, deed and word, and that not killing was the foundation of righteousness. Buddhism spread everywhere in Bharata. Gautama Buddha died at the age of eighty. The orthodox Hindu, while believes fully in Buddha being an

356 Avatara, gives a reason for not worshipping him as such, which could only have suggested itself to an acute, but unscrupulous theological brain. Because the lower castes, the Rakshasas and others who had no right to Vedic sacrifices, were beginning to take to them, and were thus enabled to occupy the seats specially reserved for the orthodox Hindu in Heaven, instead of going to Hell, their proper place therefore god, taking compassion on his elect, come down to devise some method which would effectually prevent these low born people from getting the seats of the favoured. He did so by denouncing the Vedic ritual and add that it stood for, and they turned the attention of these (aspiratioins) aspirants for heavenly joys into the ignoble channals of sacrificelessness, castelessness and freedom from ritual restraints of every mind. Modern India is steadily learning to supress this blashphemous ornament, but with its suppression, the theory of Buddha being an incarnation of God tends also to be quit quietly thrust into the background. Theological prejudice should not blind us to this fact of far reaching importance in the future life of Hinduism. This disinherited child must receive back its heritage and the dishonest trustees must be compelled to make full amends for their past conduct. When the Mahabharata was smashed up the Kshatriya-power, it also paralysed their restraining hand on Brahamanic

357 pretentions. The Brahmanas found that, while it was more possible to revive the Vedic cult, it was quite feasible to re-establish their waning power, infact to make their supremacy as a hieratic caste secure once for all. The caste system became rigid, learning became the monopoly of the hereditary caste of priets. The Brahmana, the custodian of learning by diligent teaching and preaching, divided and subdivided the various ethical groups with whom he had dealings, into endless closed castes all looking upto him. Buddhism was a protest against the harmful influence of this degmerate sacerdotalism. For the non-Brahmanas had slowly been gathering force and were becoming self conscious and relief relient and indisposed to put up any further with the overwhelming spiritual pride extreme exclusiveness, and all around domination of the Brahmana. They had though intimate contact in the course of ages, seen through him and the hallownesss of his pretensions. The gathering force of a reformation found their spokesman in Buddha, as they had earlier found in Rishabhadeva, the first founder of Jainism. Buddha again denounced the flowery words of the Vedas which misled people from the path of righteousness, as his great predecessor, Krsna had done and preached the law of universal love and harmlessness Ahimsa. The earlier and more traditional list of the ten incarnations of Lord Visnu, includes Buddha as the ninth, unlike the later and more sectarian list which has Balarama instead of Buddha. The understanding is that Balarama is only a partial Avatara

358 (amsavatara) and not a complete incarnation (Puranavatara). Jayadeva's great poem Gita Govinda, which articulates the wide spread Vaisnava ideology in Bengal and also in the south, also includes Buddha as the ninth incarnation. But this is not instead of Balarama but along with him. Krsna as an Avatara is omitted here, but all the ten Avataras are readly of Krsna alone. 283 And the Buddha that Jayadeva recognizes is the name as the historical Buddha and not the puranic personality. His description of the Buddha as the personification of compassion, an as opposed to the animal sacrifices is significant. The Buddha was absorbed in the more orthodox and conventional pantheon as an incarnation of Visnu. The Vaisnava description of this Buddha is at variance with the historical accounts. The Bhagavata Purana simply makes a reference to Lord 283 vedanubaddharate (mina ) jagannivahate ( kacchapa ) bhugolamudabibhrate (sukara ) daityam darayate ( narahari ) bali chalayate (vamana ) ksatraksayam kurvate (brgupati ) paulastyam jayate (rama ) halam kalayate ( haladhara ) karunyamatanvate (buddha ) mlecchanmurchayate (kalki ) dasakrtikrte krsnaya tubhyam namah | | nintasi yajnavidherahaha srutijatama sadaya hrdaya darsitapasughatam kesavadhrta buddhasarira jaya jagadisahare | | Jayadevva, Gitagovinda I. 12

359 Visnu's manifestation as Buddha. IT is stated that when kali sets. in Buddha will be born in Kikata (Magadha) as the son of Ajana with a view to deluding the enemies of gods. 284 Morever according the historical elements with regard to the myth of Buddha, the Agni Purana provides very little information in connection with the manifestation of Visnu as Buddha. Therein it is stated that once in the battle between gods and demons, gods were defeated by the demons, sons of Diti. They sought refuge in the lord saying, "protect us". The Lord Visnu who is of the form of illusory delusion became the son of Suddhodana. He deluded those demons. those who had abandoned the path laid down in the Vedas, became the Buddha's, and from them, others abandoned the Vedas. He then became the Arhat (Jaina). He then made others as Arhats. Thus the heretics came into being devoid of Vedic dharmas (Agni Purana 16.1-4). The Visnu Purana through the dialogue between Vasistha and Bhisma expresses an account of Lord Visnu's manifestatioin as Buddha. The whole of the text explaining the atmosphere at the time of the incarnation of Buddha, is given which commences from the description of the battle between the gods and demons as below: 284 tatah kalau sampravrtte sammohaya suradvisam | buddho namnajanasutah kikatesu bhavisyati | | C.J.Goswami, Srimad Bhagavata Maha Purana, Motlal Jalan Gita Press, Gorakhapur, 1971. I.3.24. P.9

360 There was formerly a battle between the gods and demons, for the period of a divine year, in which the gods were defeated by the demons under the command of hrada. The discomfited deities fled to the northern shore of the milk ocean, where engaging in relgious penance they thus prayed to Visnu 285. "May the first of beings, the divine Visnu. He pleased with the words that we are about to address to him, in order to propitiate the lord of all worlds; from which mighty cause, all created things have originated, and into whom they shall again dissolve! Who is able to declare this praise? We, who have been put to shame by the triumph of our foes, will glorify your true power and might be not within the reach of words. You are earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, crude matter, and primeval soul: All this elementary creation, with or without visible form is thy body; all, from Brahma to a stock, diversified by place and time. Glory to who are one with the serpent race, double tongued, impetuous, cruel, insatiate of enjoyment, and abounding with wealth. Glory to who are one with the Rshis, whose nature is free from sin or defect, and is identified with wisdom and tranquility. Glory to you oh lotus-eyed, who are one with time, the form that 285 devasuramabhuda yuddham divyamadam pura dvija | tasmina parajita deva daityaurhradapurogamaih | | ksirodasyottara kulam gatvatapyanta vai tapah | visnoraradhanarthaya jaguscemam stavam tada | | W.H.Wilson, The Visnu Purana, Nag publishers, Delhi, 1980 III. 17. 9-10 P.483

361 devotees, without remorse, all created things at the termination of the Kalpa. Glory to your who are Rudra, the bring that dances with delight after he has swallowed up all things, the gods and the rest, without distinction. Glory to you Janardhana, who are man, the agent in developing the results of that activity which proceeds from the quality of fullness. 286 Glory to you who are brute animals, universal spirit that tends to perversity, which proceeds from the quality of darkness, and is encumbered with the twentyeight kinds of obstructions. Glory to you who are that chief spirit which is diversified in the vegetable world, and which, as the essence of sacrifice, is the instrument of accomplishing the perfection of the universe. glory to you who are every thing, and where primeval form is the objects of perception, and heaven and animals, and men, and gods. Glory to you who are every thing and whose primeval form is the objects of perception, and heaven and animals and men and gods. Glory to you who are the cause of causes. 287 Upon the conclusion of their prayers, the gods beheld the sovereign deity Hari, armed with the conch, the discus, and the sabhyaksa sarvabhutani devadinyavisesatah | 286 287 nrtyatyante ca yadrupam tasmai rudratmane namah | | pravrtya rajaso yacca karmanam karakatmakam | janardana | namastasmai tvadrupaya naratmane | | Ibid III.17.26.27 P.485 yajnangabhutam yadrupam jagatah siddhisadhanam | vrksadidabhedi tasmai mukhyatmanenamah | | Ibid III.17.29 P.485

362 mace, riding on Garuda. Prostrating themselves before him, they addressed him, and said, "Have compassion upon us, O Lord, protect us, who have come to thee for succour from the Daityas. They have seized upon the three worlds, and appropriated the offerings which are our portion, taking care not to transgress the precepts of the Veda. Although we, as well as they, are parts of thee, of whom all beings consist, yet we behold the world impressed by the ignorance of unity, with the belief of its separate existence. 288 When the mighty Visnu heard their request, he emitted from his body an illusory form, which he gave to the gods, and thus speak "This deceptive vision shall wholly beguile the Daitays, so that, being led astray from the path of the Vedas, they may be put to death; for all gods, demons, or others, who shall be opposed to the authority of the Veda, shall perish by my might, whilst exercised for the preservation of the world. Go then, and tear not: let this delusive vision precede you; it shall this day be of great service into you, oh gods!. After this, the great delusion, having proceeded to earth, beheld the Daityas engaged in ascetic penances upon the banks of tamucuh sakala devah pranipatapurahsaram | 288 prasida deva ! daityebhyastrahiti saranarthinah | trailokyam yajnabhagasca daityairhrada purogamaih | hrtam no brahmano'pyajnamullanghaya paramesvarah | | yadyapyasesabhutasya vayam neca tavamsakah | tathapyavidhyabhedena bhinnam pasyamahe jagat | | Ibid III.17.36-38 P.486

363 the Narmada river; 1 and approaching them in the semblance of a naked mendicant, with his head shaved, and carrying a bunch of a peacock's feathers, he thus addressed them in genle accents: "Ho, lords of the Daitya race! where is it that you practise these acts of penance? is it with a view to recompense in this world, or in another?" "Sage", replied the Daityas, "we pursue these devotions to obtain a reward hereafter; why should you make such an inquiry?" "If you are desirous of final emancipation," answered the seeming ascetic, 'attend to my words for you are worthy of a revelation which is the door to ultimate felicity. The duties that I will teach you the secret path to liberation. 289 there are none beyond or superior to them by following them you shall obtain either heaven or exemption from future existence. The Daityas were seduced from their proper duties by the repeated lessons of their illusory preceptor, maintaining the equal truth of contradictory tenets; and they were called Arhats, from the phrase he had employed of "Ye are worthy (Arhatha) of this great doctrine;" that is, of the false doctrines which he persteaded them to embrace. The foes of the gods being thus induced to apostatize from the religion of Vedas, by the delusive person sent by Visnu, became in their turn preachers of the same heresies, and perverted others; and these, again communicating their principles to others, by whom 289 tapasyabhiratana so'tha mayamoho mahasuran | dadrso gatva narmadatira samsritan | | Ibid III.18.1. P.487

364 they were still further dissenminated, the Vedas were in a short time deserted by most of the Daitya race. Then the same deluder, putting on garments of a red colour, assuming a benevolent aspect, and speaking in soft and agreeable tones, addressed others of the same family and said to them, "If, mighty demons, you cherish a deisre either for heaven or for final repose, desist from the inquitous massacre of animals (for sacrifice), and heat from me what you should do. Know that all that exists is composed of discrimative knowledge. Understand my words, for they have been uttered by the wise. This world subsists without support, and engaged in the pursuit of error, which it mistakes for knowledge, as well as vitiated by passion and the rest, revolves in the straits of existence." In this manner, exclaiming to them, "Know!" (Budhyadvam), and they replying, "It is known" (Budhyate), these Daityas were induced by the arch deceiver to deviate from their religious duties (and become Baudahas), by his repeated arguments and variously urged persuasions. When they had abandoned their own faith, they persuaded others to do the same, and the heresy spread, and many desetted the practices enjoined by the Vedas and the laws. The delusions of the false teacher paused not with the conversion of the Daityas to the Jaina and Bauddha heresies, but with various erroneous tenets he prevailed upon others to apostatize, unitl the whole were led astray, and deserted the doctrines and observances inculcated by the three Vedas. Some

365 then spake evil of the sacred books; some blasphemed the gods; some treated sacrifices and other devotional ceremonies with scorn; 290 To say that casting butter into flame is productive of reward, is mere childishness. If indra, after having obtained godhead by multiplied rites, is fed upon the wood used as fuel in holy fire, he is lower than a brute, which feeds at less upon leaves. If an animal slaughtered in religious worship is thereby raised to heaven, it should not be expedient for a man who institues a sacrifice to kill his own father for a victim? If that which is eaten by one at a Sraddhas gives satisfaction to another, it must be unnecessary for one who resides at a distance to bring food for presentation in person". "First then, let it be determined what may be (rational) believed by mankind, and then, said their preceptor, "you will find that felicity may be expected from my instructions. By such as you are." By such and similar lessons the Daityas were perverted, so that not one of them admitted the authority of the Vedas. When the Daityas had thus declined from the path of the holy writings, the deities took courage, and gather for battle. Hostilities 290 svalpenaiva hikalena mayamohena te'surah | mohitastatyajuh sarvam trayimargasritam katham || kecida vininda vedanam devanamapare dvija | yajnakarmakalapasya tathanye ca dvijanmanam || naitadayuktisaham vakyam himsa dharmaya nesyate | havimsyanaladagdhani phaloyotyarbhakoditam || Ibid III. 18.22.24 P.491

366 accordingly were renewed, but the demons were now defeated and slain by the gods, who had adhered to the righteous path. The armour of religion, which had formerly protected the Daityas, had been discarded by them, and upon its abandonment followed their destruction. They have thrown off the garment of the Vedas. According to the law there are four conditions or orders of men (of the three first castes), the religious student, the householder, the hermit, and the mendicant. There is no fifth state; and the unrighteous man who relinquishes the order of the householder, and does not become either an anchorest or a mendicant, is also a naked (seceder). The man who neglects his permanent observances for one day and night, being able to perform them, incurs thereby sin for one day; and should he omit them, not being in trouble, for a fortnight, he can be purified only by ardous expiation. 291 The virtuous must stop to gaze upon the sun after looking upon a person who has allowed a year to clapse without the observance of the perpetual ceremonies; and they must bathe with their clothes but for the individual himself no expiation has been declared. There is no sinner upon earth more capable than one in whose dwelling the gods, progenitors, and spirits, are left to sigh unworshipped. Let not a man associate, in residence, sitting, with him whose person 291 nitya nam karmanam vipra | tasya haniraharnisam | akurvan vihitam karma saktah patati taddine | prayascittena mahata suddhimapnotyanapadi | paksam nityakriyahaneh karta maitreyamanavah | Ibid III.18 37-38 P.493

367 or whose house has been blasted by the sight of the gods, progeniccors, and spirits. Conversation, interchange of civilities, or association with a man who for a twelve month has not discharged his religious duties, is productive of equality of guild, and the person who eats in the house of such a man, or sits down with him, or sleeps on the same couch with him, becomes like him instantaneously. Again he who takes his food without showing reverence to the gods, progenitors, spirits, and guests, commits sin. How great is his sin! The Brahmanas and men of the other castes, turn their faces away from who relinquish pious works.5 Remaining in a place where there is too great an intermixtures of the four castes is determined to the character of the righteous. Men fall into hell who converse with one who takes his food without offering a portion to the gods, the sages, the manes, spirits, and guests. Let therefore a prudent person carefully avoid the conversation, or the contact, and the like, of those heretics who are rendered impure by their desertion of the three Vedas. In connection with the message of Buddha whether be a Puranic or historical, it is remarked in the following words : "Buddha introduced no sweeping changes; all that he did was to make clear what was implicit in Sri Krsna's teachings. Even the caste system was not denounced by him, as is popularly but erroneously believed. It was factual mistake made by his late followers when, instead of following the master's example of raising his followers to the novel of Brhamanas and thus gaining widespread support, they tried to supress the system itself, and

368 were therefore hounded out of India, as soon as their kings lost their soverignty. It was the teaching of Buddha and Jaina that, at a subsequent date, was put forward in a modified and new garb by Shankaracharya and it is for this reason that is Vedantis of the school of Shankara have been called "prachachnna", masked, "Bauddhas". Out of all these numerous Avataras, only Rama and Krsna excite love and worship in these days throughtout India. The others exists only in the sacred books except Buddha who is widely reverenced and worshipped in many parts of Asia, and has also a large following in Europe and America. On the whole, as per the traditional view the purpose of Visnu's incarnation as Buddha was to delude the demons who were engaged in the performence of sacrifices. And when the demons were set upon the wrong path, the immortals made the supreme effort and prepared for battle. Then the battle between the gods and demons was resumed, and the gods slew the demons, who now stood in opposition to the right path. The armour of their dharma which had at first been theirs had formerly protected them, and when it was destoryed, they were destoryed. As already noted down, this traditional view does not fit in that of the historical frame in all its respects. And here, such discrepant views with regard to Buddha incarnation are not taken here for critical exposition, for, it embraces different perspective of the literature of Indian myths.