Buddha
बुद्ध
Buddha
Form: The Enlightened One — born as Prince Siddhartha Gautama of the Shakya clan
Purpose
According to most Vaishnava puranas, Vishnu took the form of Buddha to teach compassion and to redirect humanity away from the misuse of Vedic ritual for harm. (Some Vaishnava traditions identify a different Buddha as the avatara, distinct from the historical Gautama.)
Demon / threat
The misuse of yajna for animal sacrifice and the spread of dharmic ignorance in the Kali age
Weapons
- • No weapons — only the dharma
Associated tirthas
- • Lumbini (birth)
- • Bodh Gaya (enlightenment)
- • Sarnath (first sermon)
- • Kushinagar (parinirvana)
Story
The Bhagavata Purana lists Buddha as the ninth avatara of Vishnu, born to Anjana in the Kikata region to teach ahimsa and compassion. In most living Vaishnava tradition this is identified with Siddhartha Gautama (c. 6th–5th century BCE), prince of the Shakyas, who renounced his kingdom, attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, and taught the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path for the next 45 years. Buddhism shares with Hinduism the doctrines of karma, rebirth, and moksha; Hindu tradition includes the Buddha as Vishnu's avatara in recognition of this shared dharma — though Buddhist tradition itself does not accept the Vaishnava identification.
Key teaching
Sarvam dukkham — all conditioned existence is suffering. The cause is craving; the cessation is the eightfold path. Ahimsa is the foundation of true dharma.
Principal scripture
Bhagavata Purana 1.3.24, Vishnu Purana 3.17–18, Gita Govinda of Jayadeva
Modern relevance
Roughly 500 million Buddhists worldwide. India remains the birthplace of Buddhism, with Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar, and Lumbini (Nepal) on the global pilgrimage circuit. The doctrine of ahimsa, sharpened by Buddha and carried through Jainism and Gandhi, has shaped global non-violence movements.