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Re: about balaraamar avathaaram

From: Mani Varadarajan (mani)
Date: Sun Jun 04 1995 - 20:57:28 PDT 

Re: acceptance of Buddha in North

I think it probably began around the  time of Jayadeva 
(c.11th-12th centuries), because he is the first one
that I know of who included Buddha among the 10 avataaras.
Buddha was reckoned an avataara earlier, but in a 
diabolical and rather offensive sense. Some puraanas
say that the Lord took the form of Buddha to destroy
evil elements in society by confusing them and taking
them away from the Vedas.

Anyway, in Jayadeva's daSaavataara stotram, Buddha
displaces Krishna! The rationale at the end of the
stotra is that Krishna as the Parabrahman takes on
all 10 forms, so there is no need to count him separately.
I am told that orthodox pundits, including the 
Gaudiya Vaishnavas (of which the Hare Krishnas 
are a branch), still do not accept the inclusion of Buddha
in the list of 'good' avataaras.

I do not know the origin of the inclusion.

Mani