Buddha and the boar
Preserved but no longer current.
A Hindu legend relates that Buddha died from eating boar's flesh dried. The third avatar of Vishnu was in the form of a boar, and in the legend "dried boar's flesh" probably typifies esoteric know- ledge prepared for popular use. None but Buddha himself must take the responsibility of giving out occult secrets, and he died while preparing for the general esoteric knowledge.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Buddha and the boar” mean?
A Hindu legend relates that Buddha died from eating boar's flesh dried. The third avatar of Vishnu was in the form of a boar, and in the legend "dried boar's flesh" probably typifies esoteric know- ledge prepared for popular use. None but Buddha himself must take the responsibility of giving out occult secrets, and he died while preparing for the general esoteric knowledge.
Is “Buddha and the boar” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.