Title: Lord Buddha

User: Swami Gaurangapada Date: 2007-03-12 16:53:20

 

Dear Swami Gaurangapada,

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna!

 

Please accept my humble obeisances.

 

I have a question regarding Lord Buddha.

In Your audio lecture commenteries on Vaishnava Siddhanta Mala (2-4c-Knowledge-Renunciation-of-God) You are saying that Lord Buddha is jiva tattva, soul.

But in Shrimad Bhagavatam (1.3.24) Lord Buddha appears among the incarnations of Lord Krishna...

 

Shrimad Bhagavatam 1.3.24:

 

tatah? kalau sampravr?tte

sammoh?ya sura-dvis??m

buddho n?mn?駄ana-sutah?

k?kat?es?u bhavis?yati

 

"Then, in the beginning of Kali-yuga, the Lord will appear as Lord Buddha, the son of A駄an?, in the province of Gay?, just for the purpose of deluding those who are envious of the faithful theist."

 

Could You please enlighten for us this matter.

 

Thank You very much.

 

Remaining with humble greetings,

Yours

Matus

 

Answer by Swami Gaurangapada:

 

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! A jiva (soul) can also become known as a partial incarnation of the Lord when the soul gets empowered by Lord Gauranga-Krishna to perform a specific function or mission. This is known as shaktyavesha avatara or an empowered partial incarnation of the Lord. Buddha is described as such a partial empowered incarnation just like Kalki, Parashurama etc. So even though it is written that the Lord will appear it actually means that the Lord potency's partially appears by empowering a specific soul (shakti + aavesha).