One of the most controversial questions concerning Hinduism and Buddhism is whether Gautama Buddha was an avatar of Lord Vishnu or not. This question is critical for both religions because both Vishnu and Buddha are highly revered in these religions. Traditionally, most Hindus believe that Lord Buddha was the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, but most Buddhists do not believe so. Vaishnavites also do not agree with this. Some Vaishnavites believe that Balarama was the eighth and Lord Krishna was the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. But then, the question arises, why would Lord Vishnu take two avatars at the same time. Some Vaishnavites believe that Sugata Buddha was the ninth incarnation. This article is an attempt to solve this mystery.

Was Gautama Buddha an Avatar of Lord Vishnu?

Dashavatara are the 10 main incarnations of Lord Vishnu that span from Satya Yuga to Kali Yuga. They are as follow:

1. Matsyavatara.

2. Kurmavatara.

3. Varahavatara.

4. Narasimhavatara.

5. Vamanavatara.

6. Parashurama.

7. Lord Rama.

8. Lord Krishna.

9. Lord Buddha or Lord Balarama.

10. Kalki Avatara.

There is no confusion about the other incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

For more details about the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, please read Dashavatara.

What could be the possible reasons behind calling Lord Buddha an avatar of Lord Vishnu?

1. Many Hindu scriptures say so. Hindus believe that Puranas and other texts are written by sages who do not lie.

2. Buddha was a Hindu by birth. Per some stories, his horoscope indicated that he would either be a great king or a great sage.

3. Per a legend, the mother of Buddha had a divine dream in which she saw a six-tusked white elephant entering her womb.

4. Some Buddhists believe that it was a conspiracy of Brahmins to denigrate Buddhism. By declaring Buddha an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Buddhism was reduced to be a sect of Hinduism.

Which scriptures say that Gautama Buddha was an avatar of Lord Vishnu?

No Buddhist scripture mentions him as an avatar of Lord Vishnu. These are only the Hindu texts that say so. There are some major and minor Puranas, as well as some epics that say so. They are as follows:

1. Vishnu Purana – 3.18.

2. Bhagavata Purana – 1.3.24, 2.7.37, 3.15.26.

3. Garuda Purana – 1.1, 2.30.37, 3.15.26.

4. Agni Purana – 16, 49.8.

5. Linga Purana – 1.71.

6. Padma Purana – 3.252.

7. Naradiya Purana – 2.72.

8. Harivamsha – 1.41.

9. Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra – 2:1-5/7.

10. Gita Govindam by Jaidev.

Gautama Buddha remembered his past births but never said that he was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

When Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment, he remembered all his previous births. He used to refer to his past births when teaching his disciples. There is no single incidence where he mentioned that he was Lord Krishna or Lord Rama in his previous birth. Per the Jataka tales, Prince Vessantara was his last birth.

If he was an avatar of Lord Vishnu, why would he hide the truth? It would have been easier for him to preach if he had announced and proved so.

Was Balarama an avatar of Vishnu?

The general belief is that Balarama was an incarnation of Sheshanaga, as was Lakshmana in the Ramayana. Lakshmana and Balarama both were born to protect Lord Vishnu in his human forms and also to help them achieve their goals. The role Balarama played in the Mahabharata was that of an assistant rather than a leader. Other than that, Balarama favored Duryodhana, who was an Asura in a human body. He wanted to kill Bheema when he broke the rules of wrestling. Some Hindu texts mention that once Balarama drank Varuni and lost control over his body. I do not think any avatar of Lord Vishnu would do so.

Therefore, I do not think that Balarama was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

If neither Buddha nor Balarama, then who was the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu?

As we saw above, Balarama was not an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It means Lord Krishna was the eighth incarnation. Then the question arises who was the ninth if Gautama Buddha was also not an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

The other possibility is Sugata Buddha. Some Vaishnavites believe that he was the ninth avatar of Lord Vishnu, who helped Lord Shiva kill a demon. But this is not a widely accepted concept.

Currently, Hindus believe that the ninth avatar has already happened, and the only remaining avatar is Kalki who would be the tenth. Then either there is something missing from the Hindu history or something is kept secret from the masses because how would the tenth avatar come before the ninth.

Was Buddha an avatar of Indra?

According to a legend, on the day of conceiving, the mother of Siddhartha Gautama had a dream in which she saw a six-tusked white elephant entered her right side.

Interestingly, Airavata is a white elephant that is the carrier of Indra and has six (or 10) tusks. It could be a sign that Indra entered the womb of Queen Maya because many times, gods communicate through dreams.

Therefore, there is a possibility that he was an incarnation of Indra.

Was it a conspiracy of Brahmins?

It may be or may not be, or it just could be a confusion with Sugata Buddha, who is believed to be the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu per some Vaishnavites. We know that Buddha is not the true name of Gautama Buddha. Actually, it is an epithet.

It is for sure that when Gautama Buddha was alive, no one called him an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Gautama Buddha died around 483-400 BCE. That was after the Mahabharata. It means that Veda Vyasa did not mention him in the Puranas, and it was a later addition. Because of Buddhism, the existence of Hinduism was endangered.

Therefore, to save Hinduism, some Brahmins might have declared him as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and edited the Puranas.

Sikhs believe that he was the 23rd incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Initially, Sikhism was a sect of Hinduism. Therefore, it is possible that Sikhs also believe him to be an incarnation of Vishnu.

Death and aging of Gautama Buddha:

There are different versions of the story about the death of Gautam Buddha, but the most widely accepted theory is that he died of food poisoning.

The last meal that he had was offered to him by Chunda, a blacksmith. It was some kind of pork (or mushroom) that was tainted. He fell violently ill after this. According to the NCBI website, he contracted the pig-bel disease (necrotizing enteritis) caused by the toxins of Clostridium perfringens infection. Some people believe he was deliberately poisoned. Some scholars believe he died of old age and not of food poisoning.

It is also an accepted fact that he suffered from age-related diseases. He was 80 years old when he died.

Hindus believe that incarnations of Lord Vishnu do not age or do not die of minor illnesses like food poisoning.

Therefore, it is unlikely that he was an avatar of Lord Vishnu.

Hindus do not generally worship Buddha.

Although Hindus believe him to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, his worship is less common than other gods. Very few Hindus keep his image at home and worship it. He is generally considered the god of Buddhists.

There is no Asura involved in Buddha’s story.

Generally, when Lord Vishnu incarnates, there is some association with Asuras, but in the case of Gautama Buddha, there was no Asura involved in the story.

Conclusion:

Before coming to any conclusion, let us summarize the pivotal points in this article.

1. Gautama Buddha remembered his previous births but never claimed that he was Lord Krishna or Lord Rama in his earlier life.

2. No one declared him an avatar until he was alive.

3. Puranas were likely edited after his death to save Hinduism from the increasing influence of Buddhism.

4. Gautama Buddha getting old and dying of food poisoning is unlikely in the case of an avatar of Lord Vishnu.

5. If the legend of Queen Maya dreaming of a six-tusked white elephant is true, it is possible that he was an avatar of Indra. In the Mahabharata, there is a story where Lord Krishna orders the people of Gokul not to worship Indra. After that Indra’s worship might have gradually stopped. Hence, it is possible that he incarnated as Buddha and threatened Hinduism to take his revenge.

Therefore, I think most probably Gautama Buddha was an incarnation of Indra.