History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c37.58.1

v3.c37.58.1

In the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyaṇa it is frequently stated that God comes down to earth often for punishing the wicked, for the protection of the good and the establishment of *dharma*.¹⁷²¹ In the Śāntiparva (339. 103-104) the *avatāras* are stated to be ten and they are the same as now accepted except that Haṁsa is mentioned instead of Buddha and Kṛṣṇa is called Sātvata. Among the Purāṇas also several do not mention Buddha as an avatāra. The Mārkaṇḍeya (47. 7) speaks of Matsya, Kūrma and Varāha incarnations and in 4. 53-56 begins with Varāha and mentions Nṛsiṁha, Vāmana and Māthura (i. e. Kṛṣṇa). The Matsya (47. 39-45) speaks of 12 *avatāras*, some of which are different from the usual ones and verse 106 states that Bhṛgu cursed Viṣṇu to be born as a human being seven times, as he killed a woman, viz. his wife. The Matsya-purāṇa (chap. 285. 6-7) mentions the well-known ten avatāras including Buddha and this passage is quoted by Aparārka on p. 338. The Matsya-purāṇa 47. 247 speaks of Buddha as the 9th (avatāra). The Nṛsiṁha-purāṇa chap. 36, the Agni-purāṇa chap. 2 to 16 and the Vārāha-purāṇa 4. 2 enumerate the well-known ten avatāras. The Vṛddha-Hārīta smṛti¹⁷²² (X. 145-146) enumerates ten avatāras, includes Hayagrīva in them (in place of Buddha) and expressly says that Buddha should not be worshipped. In the Rāmāyaṇa (Ayodhyā- kāṇḍa 109. 34) Buddha is reviled as a thief and an atheist.¹⁷²³ This passage may be an interpolation.