Vastu-shastra (Vol. I: Hindu Science of Architecture; Vol. II: Hindu Canons of Iconography and Painting) v2.c75.s3.23

v2.c75.s3.23

Paurāṇic accounts:—(leaving the Agni and the Bhāgavata) of Buddha are not only confusing, but also in a way antogonistic—vide the Viṣṇupurāṇa which says many hard things against Buddhism and Buddhists and there are also very interesting accounts in it regarding Buddhists being naked which perhaps in the opinion of Dr. Banerjea is a confusion between the Jina of the Digambara Jainas and the Buddha of the Buddhists. It is said there that because they have discarded the authority of the Vedas which are really the real coverings of man and mankind, they are nagnas (see details in Rao). It also designates Buddha as Māyāmoha which is common in other Purāṇas as well and describes him as ‘naked with shaved head and a peacock-tail in his hand’. The Bhāgavatas taking the authority of the Bhāgavata-purāṇa came to regard him as one of the incarnations of their god, who according to them incarnated himself in the world as Māyāmoha (the Arch Deluder) to cause confusion among the Daityas by preaching false and anti-Vedic doctrines among men and thus cause their destruction.