http://srimadbhagavatam.com/8/3/12/en
I offer my respectful obeisances to Lord Vāsudeva, who is all-pervading, to the Lord's fierce form as Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva, to the Lord's form as an animal [Lord Varāhadeva], to Lord Dattātreya, who preached impersonalism, to Lord Buddha, and to all the other incarnations. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who has no material qualities but who accepts the three qualities goodness, passion and ignorance within this material world. I also offer my respectful obeisances unto the impersonal Brahman effulgence.
I did not understand how Gajendra is praying to Buddha. This verse was cited by people to prove that S.B is a very late work and stories about the very distant past are mixed with very current events.
It is interesting to note here, how Gajendra is paying obeisances unto impersonal Brahman effulgence also, showing how S.B throws a bait to jnanis, yogis and everybody in an accommodating spirit. So it is strange to me when devotees insist that it is necessary to hate all other conception of Godhead to progress in bhakti.
I did not understand how Gajendra is praying to Buddha. This verse was cited by people to prove that S.B is a very late work and stories about the very distant past are mixed with very current events.
It doesn't seem to me that Gajendra is specifically praising Buddha (or for that matter Nrsimha or Dattatreya), rather these are examples of forms that the lord manifests in different "elements" or aspects of the absolute and Prabhupada is just giving specific examples.
My guess is that this could have easily been translated as Gajendra offering prayers to the lord who manifests fierce forms, forms in the animal kingdom, forms with material qualities though his qualities are untouched by material nature, who is like nirvana (beyond material qualities) and is also (brahman), etc.
Gajendra is a realized vaisnava showing proper respect to all aspects of the absolute; brahman, paramatma and bhagavan. Vaisnavas worship bhagavan, but know in tattva that the absolute also possesses other aspects. No hating necessary, rather honor.
Yes, next time you come across a "devotee" who says it's necessary to hate anything, start walking backward until you can't make out what he or she is saying, and you'll be fine.
. . . and then turn around and run.