Shloka 24
Avatāra-kathā — The Puruṣa, the Many Incarnations, and Kṛṣṇa as Svayam Bhagavān
तत: कलौ सम्प्रवृत्ते सम्मोहाय सुरद्विषाम् । बुद्धो नाम्नाञ्जनसुत: कीकटेषु भविष्यति ॥ २४ ॥
tataḥ kalau sampravṛtte sammohāya sura-dviṣām buddho nāmnāñjana-sutaḥ kīkaṭeṣu bhaviṣyati
తర్వాత కలియుగ ఆరంభంలో, సురద్వేషులను మోహింపజేయుటకై భగవాన్ బుద్ధుడు అంజనా-సుతుడిగా కీకట (గయా) దేశంలో అవతరిస్తాడు.
Lord Buddha, a powerful incarnation of the Personality of Godhead, appeared in the province of Gayā (Bihar) as the son of Añjanā, and he preached his own conception of nonviolence and deprecated even the animal sacrifices sanctioned in the Vedas. At the time when Lord Buddha appeared, the people in general were atheistic and preferred animal flesh to anything else. On the plea of Vedic sacrifice, every place was practically turned into a slaughterhouse, and animal-killing was indulged in unrestrictedly. Lord Buddha preached nonviolence, taking pity on the poor animals. He preached that he did not believe in the tenets of the Vedas and stressed the adverse psychological effects incurred by animal-killing. Less intelligent men of the Age of Kali, who had no faith in God, followed his principle, and for the time being they were trained in moral discipline and nonviolence, the preliminary steps for proceeding further on the path of God realization. He deluded the atheists because such atheists who followed his principles did not believe in God, but they kept their absolute faith in Lord Buddha, who himself was the incarnation of God. Thus the faithless people were made to believe in God in the form of Lord Buddha. That was the mercy of Lord Buddha: he made the faithless faithful to him.
FAQs
In 1.3.24, the Bhagavatam states that the Lord will appear as Buddha, son of Añjanā, in Kali-yuga, in the land of Kīkaṭa, to bewilder those who are hostile to the Lord’s devotees and Vedic dharma.
The verse indicates a divine strategy: those opposed to devotion and Vedic principles are led away from harmful misuse of religion, while the Lord’s broader purpose of protecting dharma continues through His incarnations.
It teaches discernment: God’s guidance may take forms suited to time and audience, and sincere seekers should focus on cultivating devotion, non-enviousness, and alignment with dharma rather than sectarian hostility.