Swami Vivekananda                           

Buddha and How Purity Can Never be Killed

When Buddha was born, he was so pure that whosoever looked at his face from a distance immediately gave up the ceremonial religion and became a monk and became saved. So the gods held a meeting. They said, 'We are undone.' Because most of the gods live upon the ceremonials. These sacrifices go to the gods and these sacrifices were all gone. The gods were dying of hunger and it was that their power was gone.

So the gods said: 'We must, anyhow, put this man down. He is too pure for our life.'

And then the gods came and said: 'Sir, we come to ask you something. We want to make a great sacrifice and we mean to make a huge fire, and we have been seeking all over the world for a pure spot to light the fire on and could not find it, and now we have found it. If you will lie down, on your breast we will make the huge fire.'

 'Granted,' he says, 'go on.' And the gods built the fire high upon the breast of Buddha, and they thought he was dead, and he was not.

And then they went about and said, 'We are undone.' And all the gods began to strike him.

No good. They could not kill him. From underneath the voice comes: 'Why making all these vain attempts?'

'Whoever looks upon you becomes purified and is saved, and nobody is going to worship us.'

 'Then, your attempt is vain, because purity can never be killed.'

From complete works (3:525)