408 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
In my opinion the main reason for this was the family deity’s (kula deva) worship. In India like the village deity and national deity, there were family deities also who were worshipped through the Brahmins. The priests who used to go for worshipping these deities started influencing the affairs of the State through the queens. Asoka after embracing Buddhism discontinued this practice and removed the idols of such deities. Asoka said, “As I venerate the Buddha, the Enlightened One, there is no need to worship any other deity.” This action of Asoka disturbed the Brahmins very much as it ended their unfair means of livelihood and exploitation. They pledged to take revenge for this loss.
The Brahmins were of the view that after death, kings go to hell because of their errors and omissions. Therefore, they did not agree to be rulers but preferred to be the Chief Advisers to the Kings. In order to take revenge for the loss they suffered on account of stoppage of Kulapuja (family deity’s worship). Brahmins gave up the approved motto of being advisers only and tried to grab power. With the help of their well-wisher Kshatriyas, they also organised an united Brahmin-Kshatriya axis against Buddhism. The ascendency of Brahminism again in Indian society, is one of the reasons for the downfall of Buddhism.
The foreign invasions are also responsible for the decline of Buddhism in India. The Greeks did no harm to Buddhism. There are positive proofs available that the Greeks gave liberal financial assistance for Buddhist activities. The Huns invaded India, and after being defeated by the Guptas, they settled in India. Prior to this, the Huns tried to destroy Buddhism. The religion of the Buddha got the severest blow from the Muslim invasion. They destroyed the Buddhist idols and killed the Bhikkhus. They mistook the great Nalanda University as the Fort of Buddhists and killed a large number of monks thinking that they were soldiers. The few Bhikkhus who escaped an onslaught fled away to the neighbouring countries like Nepal, Tibet, and China.
Some of my Hindu friends often ask why Hinduism, which has also idol-worship, survived in India and Buddhism died.