The atheist class they did not believe in God but Lord Buddha came before them He said: "Yes there is no God, that's right but whatever I say you take it." So the atheist class took it, "yes whatever You say we shall take it." But the atheist did not know that He is the incarnation of God. Therefore in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, sammohāya sura-dviṣām (SB 1.3.24), sammohāya sura-dviṣām, sura-dviṣām—means the atheist class. Sammohāya—just to bewilder them, you don’t believe in God, that's all right but you take My words, ahimsa parama-dharma, don’t kill animals. Lord Buddha appeared, sadaya-hṛdaya-darśita-paśu-ghātam, He was . . . the Lord became very much compassionate when people in the name of religion in the name of Vedas were much addicted to killing of animals.
- nindasi yajña-vidhe rahaha śruti-jātaṁ
- sadaya-hṛdaya darśita-paśu-ghātam
- keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra
- jaya jagad-īśa hare
- (Daśāvatāra-stotra)
The Vaiṣṇava, the devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, he knows what is Lord Buddha, he says, Vaiṣṇava kavi Jayadeva Gosvāmī that, "My dear Lord,"nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātam. You appear for stopping killing of animals but people began to give you evidence from the Vedas that animal killing is sanctioned in the Vedas. There are, certainly, sacrificial animal killing but not the slaughterhouse animal killing or any time or anything, no. That animal killing was also to test the power of the Vedic mantra, not for eating purpose. That's a different story.
Lord Buddha appeared to stop this animal killing and when people wanted to give evidence from the Vedas that animal killing is sanctioned in the Vedas, why you are stopping? Therefore He had to say: "I don’t care for your Vedas," nindasi yajña-vidhe rahaha śruti-jātaṁ. Therefore Lord Buddha is accepted amongst the Vedic followers as atheist. But Vaiṣṇava, one who knows Kṛṣṇa they see Lord Buddha as the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa for the time serving purpose. At that time it was needed to stop animal killing therefore He presented a different type of philosophy.
So that is also inaction, acts enacted by the Lord and it was stopping animal killing. Therefore my point is that religion means whatever God says, enacts, that is religion. It may be for the time being or it may be eternal. So this Kṛṣṇa conscious religion, as it is stated by the Supreme Lord in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁśaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is eternal religion of the living entities. It does not matter where he is born, he may be an Indian, he may be an American, he may be a Canadian or . . . but this is the eternal religion.