Lord Buddha | Buddha Avatara | Siddhartha Gautama Buddha

Lord Buddha

Lord Buddha is described as the 23rd incarnation of Lord Vishnu. However, there have been differing views among scholars regarding Buddhavatara. According to some scholars, Gautam Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, and the Buddha mentioned in Hindu scriptures are two distinct figures.

Lord Vishnu incarnated as Buddha with the purpose of diminishing the powers of demons who had become extremely powerful by performing Yajna and other potent rituals, by deluding them. He also assisted Gods in reclaiming their reign over Swarga Loka.

Lord Buddha Origin

According to a verse from Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana -

In other words, In Kali Yuga, Lord Vishnu will incarnate in the region of Kikata, present day Bihar or Odisha, as the son of Ajana with the purpose of deluding the demons.

According to the descriptions found in religious texts regarding Buddhavatara of Lord Vishnu, once, demons became all powerful and defeated Gods in the war. Gods had to abandon Swarga Loka to avoid persecution at the hands of demons, who subsequently established their Kingdom in Swarga. But, demons speculated that Gods may again invade Swarga Loka. So, they approached the King of Gods, Indra, and requested him to show them the path to attain eternal reign over Swarga Loka. Indra, despite losing his Kingdom to demons, tell them the way to attain eternal sovereignty over Swarga knowing that this very path would ultimately become the reason of their downfall. Indra told demons - "Performing Yajna and leading the life in accordance with the instructions written in Vedas will grant you the total and eternal sovereignty over Swarga Loka."

Following the advice of Indra, demons began performing Yajna and leading the life in accordance with Vedas, due to which their potency increased exponentially. However, demons wasted no time in abusing their new found power and began persecuting poor and helpless in all three Lokas. Fearing the atrocities of demons, Gods approached Lord Vishnu to seek his help. Lord Vishnu assured Gods that he would incarnate as Budhha to save them from the tyranny of demons.

When the right time came, Lord Vishnu incarnated as Budhha on Earth. As Buddhavatara, Lord Vishnu was walking forward and all the while clearing the path with a Marjani, i.e., broom in His hands. Lord Buddha approached demons and instructed them to not perform Yajna, saying - "Performing Yajna causes harm to countless living beings. Many micro life forms are burned to ashes in the sacrificial fire. I, myself, clear the path before stepping on it to avoid causing harm to any living being." Lord Buddha's words reminded demons of Indra's advice of following the path of Dharma and Karma. However, the words of Lord Buddha deeply influenced demons and eventually they stopped following the path of Vedas as well as performing Yajna. As a result, demons started losing their strength and gradually became powerless. At an opportune time, Gods attacked demons and defeated them to reclaim their sovereignty over Swarga Loka. Thus, Lord Vishnu incarnated as Lord Buddha for the welfare entire Universe.

According to another tale, a scholar had prophesied about Siddhartha, the son of King Shuddhodhana, that one day he would become an ascetic and renounce the world. To prevent this, King Shuddhodhana arranged for every possible luxury and indulgence for Siddhartha. He commissioned to build three exquisite palaces for each season. These palaces accommodated every source of entertainment like dancing, music, etc for Siddhartha's recreation. Numerous servants were always ready to serve Siddhartha making sure his mind remained indulged in worldly pleasures.

One day, during the spring season, Siddhartha went out to stroll in his garden. On the way, he saw an old man whose teeth were broken, hair white and body debilitated. As he walked on, he saw an ill person who was breathing very fast and was only able to walk laboriously with others' support. As he walked further, he saw a funeral bier carried by four people on their shoulders. The bier was followed by a large number of people. Some were wailing, some were thumping their chest in grief and some were pulling their hair. Siddhartha felt extremely sad and pained upon witnessing such pitiful human misery. He reflected - "How pitiable is this youth that leads to one's death? How fragile is this health that debilitates the body? How ephemeral is this life that ends so soon? Will the old age, illness and death always continue in this way? Is there no path to liberation from this endless cycle of life and death?"

As he was walking while reflecting about life and death, he saw an ascetic on the way, who was sitting in a blissful state of mind liberated from all worldly desires. Upon seeing that ascetic and witnessing the painful existence of life, Siddhartha resolved to follow the path of asceticism. So, one night, he left his wife Yashodhara and son Rahul, while they both were asleep, to follow the spiritual path to attain enlightenment. After attaining the enlightenment, Siddhartha became known as Buddha in the entire world.

Lord Buddha Family

The father of Lord Buddha was Shuddhodhana and His mother was Mayadevi. He was married to princess Yashodhara, who gave birth to their son, Rahul.

Lord Buddha Iconography

Lord Buddha is depicted as an enlightened ascetic seated in a deep meditative state. He sits in Padmasana posture, also called lotus posture, draped in a long robe. His long hair is shown tied up in a topknot bun.

Lord Buddha Mantra

Buddha Mula Mantra -

Buddha Dhyana Mantra -

Lord Buddha Festivals

• Buddha Jayanti
• Buddha Purnima
• Mahaparinirvan Diwas

Famous and prominent temples of Lord Buddha

• Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya, Bihar
• Mahaparinirvana Temple, Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh
• Ramabhar Stupa Temple, Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh
• Saranath Temple, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
• Red Maitreya Temple, Ngari, Tibet
• Namdroling Nyingma Monastery, Mysore, Karnataka