<p>No, none of the Buddhist texts that I have come across, be it Theravada or Mahayana mentioned Vishnu or Shiva. These appeared to be Hindu deities post-dating the historical Buddha.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-26T16:48:17.843Z
2024-12-26T16:48:17.843Z
Desmon
<p>If we are a Buddhist, we place our trust in the early Buddhist scriptures.</p>
<p>The well known Vedic gods mentioned in the early Buddhist scriptures appear to be primarily <a href="https://suttacentral.net/define/inda?lang=en" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Indra</a> (<a href="https://suttacentral.net/define/sakka?lang=en" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Sakka</a>), <a href="https://suttacentral.net/define/brahma?lang=en" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Brahma</a> and <a href="https://suttacentral.net/define/paj%C4%81pati?lang=en" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Pajāpati</a>.</p>
<p>There is a backdating 'Hinduizer' Woke Australian monk named Sujato (who has a chatsite called Sutta Central) who makes tenuous claims about Vishnu &amp; Shiva but the evidence for these tenuous claims appears spurious &amp;/or trifling. Sujato has said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In the time of the Buddha, and indeed even to this day, the ancient
pre-Buddhist Vedas formed the basis for the spiritual life of the
brahmins and those who followed them. Rituals such as the agnihotra,
the daily pouring of ghee onto the fire as an offering to the fire-god
Agni—originated long before the Aryan people even came to India, and
continue to be performed today.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, many of the old gods featured in the Vedas had vanished
by the time of the Buddha, and many of the famed deities of later
Hinduism had not yet appeared. Those who do appear take on a markedly
different aspect; prominent gods such as <strong>Vishnu (Pali: Veṇhu)</strong> or <strong>Shiva
(Pali: Siva)</strong> appear in minor roles, and a warrior like <strong>Sakka (AKA
Indra)</strong> appears as an apostle of peace. There were no temples, no
images, and no cult of devotion (bhakti). There is no mention of a
system of avatars, nor of familiar concepts from modern Hindu-inspired
spirituality such as śakti, kuṇḍalinī, chakras, or yoga exercises.</p>
<p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/general-guide-sujato?lang=en" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Sujato</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Sujato's claims above about Vishnu appear to be based on two trivial occurrences (in <a href="https://suttacentral.net/sn2.12/en/sujato?lang=en&amp;layout=linebyline&amp;reference=none&amp;notes=none&amp;highlight=false&amp;script=latin" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SN 2.12</a> and <a href="https://suttacentral.net/dn20/en/sujato?lang=en&amp;layout=linebyline&amp;reference=none&amp;notes=none&amp;highlight=false&amp;script=latin" rel="nofollow noreferrer">DN 20</a>) of a god named Veṇhu. Similarly, it appears the name 'Siva' for a god is found only once (in <a href="https://suttacentral.net/sn2.21/en/sujato?lang=en&amp;layout=linebyline&amp;reference=none&amp;notes=none&amp;highlight=false&amp;script=latin" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SN 2.21</a>). There appear nothing in these three suttas providing the characteristics of these gods which are later found in Hinduism regarding Vishnu &amp; Shiva.</p>

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2024-12-26T18:52:53.310Z
2024-12-26T19:14:40.810Z
2024-12-26T19:14:40.810Z
Dhamma Dhatu
<p>I have heard Buddhist literature Mentions Maha Brahma, a diety attributed with creation but he is still held as a conditioned being.</p>
<p>Does any literature of the buddhist canon (Any tripitaka or sutta) mention vishnu or shiva as deities? If so, what position are they accorded? Are they held to be conditioned beings similar to Brahma or something else?</p>

<texts><deva><buddhist>
Does buddhist Tripitaka or Sutta literature mention Vishnu or Shiva?
# Does buddhist Tripitaka or Sutta literature mention Vishnu or Shiva?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-12-26)

I have heard Buddhist literature Mentions Maha Brahma, a diety attributed with creation but he is still held as a conditioned being.

Does any literature of the buddhist canon (Any tripitaka or sutta) mention vishnu or shiva as deities? If so, what position are they accorded? Are they held to be conditioned beings similar to Brahma or something else?

**Tags:** texts, deva, buddhist


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2024-12-26. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

If we are a Buddhist, we place our trust in the early Buddhist scriptures.

The well known Vedic gods mentioned in the early Buddhist scriptures appear to be primarily [Indra](https://suttacentral.net/define/inda?lang=en) ([Sakka](https://suttacentral.net/define/sakka?lang=en)), [Brahma](https://suttacentral.net/define/brahma?lang=en) and [Pajāpati](https://suttacentral.net/define/paj%C4%81pati?lang=en).

There is a backdating 'Hinduizer' Woke Australian monk named Sujato (who has a chatsite called Sutta Central) who makes tenuous claims about Vishnu & Shiva but the evidence for these tenuous claims appears spurious &/or trifling. Sujato has said:

> In the time of the Buddha, and indeed even to this day, the ancient
> pre-Buddhist Vedas formed the basis for the spiritual life of the
> brahmins and those who followed them. Rituals such as the agnihotra,
> the daily pouring of ghee onto the fire as an offering to the fire-god
> Agni—originated long before the Aryan people even came to India, and
> continue to be performed today.
>
> Nevertheless, many of the old gods featured in the Vedas had vanished
> by the time of the Buddha, and many of the famed deities of later
> Hinduism had not yet appeared. Those who do appear take on a markedly
> different aspect; prominent gods such as **Vishnu (Pali: Veṇhu)** or **Shiva
> (Pali: Siva)** appear in minor roles, and a warrior like **Sakka (AKA
> Indra)** appears as an apostle of peace. There were no temples, no
> images, and no cult of devotion (bhakti). There is no mention of a
> system of avatars, nor of familiar concepts from modern Hindu-inspired
> spirituality such as śakti, kuṇḍalinī, chakras, or yoga exercises.
>
> [Sujato](https://suttacentral.net/general-guide-sujato?lang=en)

Sujato's claims above about Vishnu appear to be based on two trivial occurrences (in [SN 2.12](https://suttacentral.net/sn2.12/en/sujato?lang=en&layout=linebyline&reference=none¬es=none&highlight=false&script=latin) and [DN 20](https://suttacentral.net/dn20/en/sujato?lang=en&layout=linebyline&reference=none¬es=none&highlight=false&script=latin)) of a god named Veṇhu. Similarly, it appears the name 'Siva' for a god is found only once (in [SN 2.21](https://suttacentral.net/sn2.21/en/sujato?lang=en&layout=linebyline&reference=none¬es=none&highlight=false&script=latin)). There appear nothing in these three suttas providing the characteristics of these gods which are later found in Hinduism regarding Vishnu & Shiva.


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### Answer by username_1 on 2024-12-26. Score: 2

No, none of the Buddhist texts that I have come across, be it Theravada or Mahayana mentioned Vishnu or Shiva. These appeared to be Hindu deities post-dating the historical Buddha.


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