Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Hinduism/Mythology/Archive 2

Resources
Hindu Gods and Goddesses by Swami Harshananda of Ramakrishna Math Bangalore has great pictures based on hindu iconography (shilpa shastra) and good info. Ramashray

There should be no WikiProject for Hindu mythology, just merge it with Hinduism. Nobody edits anything because this should not exist. DaGizza

I was going to post a proposal for standardising nomenclature here, but then read the above comments and posted it at Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Hinduism instead. Imc 21:46, 18 October 2005 (UTC)


 * You should make this project active again. The Hinduism category is so big.  It would be a good I idea to specialize in such a category such as mythology.  The dieties need sorting. --Dangerous-Boy 10:16, 27 October 2005 (UTC)


 * I have put up a proposal for naming at the Hinduism project page, because that has wider relevance, and the naming standard needs to cover that as well (in fact it should be agreed for all Indological fields, as a policy). Perhaps this project should be made active again, but there is only limited activity as it is. Imc 18:38, 27 October 2005 (UTC)


 * Why don't you ask Paddu and that other guy to come back? --Dangerous-Boy 03:50, 28 October 2005 (UTC)

Category needs sorting an organization!
it's a mess. --Dangerous-Boy 11:55, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

Wikiportal Hinduism
Hi all. I hope you know about Portal:Hinduism. It is being discussed whether the portal should be deleted because it doesn't satisfy certain requirements, because not much work has been done on it. Please see the discussion here. I request you to please contribute and make the portal survive. Thanks. deeptrivia (talk) 04:15, 6 December 2005 (UTC)

The term mythology
Can we dicuss what can be included as mythology and how to categorize it. Mythology, though it technically doesn't have implications of fiction, is used in common language to mean a fictional account. The topics covered in this page include many stories believed to be true by Hindus. To give some background, please see Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Hinduism - Mythology or Scriptures discussion. Also, see Jewish Mythology, Islamic mythology and the categories named similarly. The Christian mythology category is structured to handle mythology that is believed to be true by Christians to be classified as 'Narratives'.

To model it similar to the Christian Mythology category, I suggest we add a new category called Hindu Narratives. This should have links to Ramayana etc. The current Hindu Mythology page should include material from Kalidasa's writings, Jataka tales etc. - which are legends or not believed by Hindu to be true. Also, to model it similar to other religions categories on mythology, I suggest we put a note on top clarifying the fictional connotations of the term. See

Please discuss objections, comments and suggestions. --Pranathi 03:37, 7 December 2005 (UTC)


 * I prefer the Christian classifications but seeing that is harder to do with our current structure, I suggest just adding the header note like islamic or Jewish mythology. I will do shortly unless there are objections.--Pranathi 17:19, 17 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Good idea, also it should be noted that all myths definately are true to an extent, although some probably have more truth in them than others.  Da Gizza  Chat (c) 21:07, 20 December 2005 (UTC)

I see a fundamental issue here - several scholars claim that "mythology" does not imply fiction. In practice, only Greek, Roman, Norse and other "dead" cultures are seen in mythology. Christian stories and narratives are classified as theology or Biblical passages. The Bible is not considered part of mythology. THere is no good reason to not consider the Puranas on par with the Bible. THerefore to include accounts from the Puranas as "mythology" is an unacceptable imposition of Western cultural hegemony. While there are many educated, so-called Hindus who use the term Hindu mythology without pausing to think about its implications, I believe that the term is fundamentally tarnished by its association with Greek and Roman culture and should not be applied to Puranas.

So, instead of calling this the Hindu Mythology project, why not just call it the Purana-Katha project. I also noticed someone claiming that all terms must be in English. However, certain terms should not be - e.g. devas are best considered celestial beings. Bottom line - careful insider thinking and reflection is a must. --savyasaachi, 20060119 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.55.52.3 (talk • contribs)


 * I think it is very important to attribute the mythology to sources. This is very hard to do in practice, but the exercise will be worthwhile.  If the story comes from an oral tradition, it should be noted.  And if it comes from a text, that should also be noted. Chaipau 22:25, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

To be culturally sensitive, we ought to be aware than when deities, people, and events described in Hindu scriptures are termed "mythological," many Hindus take the term with deep offense.

Other Hindus, indeed, may be comfortable with the term and may even use it themselves. But this is not universally so.

As other users have pointed out: Suppose we translate the matter into Western terms. Let's take such matters as the parting of the Red Sea, Jesus walking on water, and for that matter the very existence of such "supposedly historical" figures as Moses and Jesus. We ought to be aware that if we refer to these persons and events as "mythological," we will be using a term that many Jews and Christians (dictionary definitions of ""mythology" notwithstanding) would feel is disparaging and offensive.

For many Hindus, deities such as Rama, Krishna, and Shiva are real beings, worthy of respect and worship, the "legendary" people found in such works as the Puranas and epics are genuine historical figures, and the "myths" of which these works tell are factual events of ancient history.

That is to say, many Hindus take their scriptures literally.

We may take a different view. But if we respect people who believe differently from us, and are sensitive to their cultures, should we be careful to use terms that will honor their beliefs and not be taken with offense? Some users here have recommended neutral terms like "narratives." I support that suggestion.

O Govinda 12:50, 11 July 2006 (UTC)


 * I think the epics happened though not on the scale it is described.--D-Boy 03:43, 14 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Mythology is a very patronizing term. Mythology is defined as "A body or collection of myths belonging to a people and addressing their origin, history, deities, ancestors, and heroes." Myths insinutating that these stories are nothing more than fairy tales an individual believes is true, on par with a child believing in Santa Claus. This project should be renamed as "Hindu Lore" or perhaps "Hindu Tradition."--ॐJesucristo301 21:54, 21 September 2007 (UTC)
 * I agree to changing this name from "mythology" to maybe Hindu Tradition or Lore. Mythology though not necessarily meaning fiction, is seen as such in common language.  And yes, it will be offensive to Hindus who understand the distinction.76.247.42.242 (talk) 18:18, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

templates
I've been changing the templates in the Hindu mythology articles to



The topics in hinduism template is huge and ugly and this template is so much simpler and worthwile. --Dangerous-Boy 21:39, 13 December 2005 (UTC)

Glossary of terms in Hinduism
I've created this glossary. It would need massive support from y'all to get completed. I think it's a useful thing. Maybe soon we'll have to split it into parts like Glossary of spirituality-related terms. I've also added a link to it in the "Hinduism_small" template. Thanks! deeptrivia (talk) 03:51, 16 December 2005 (UTC)

I will try to give certain fresh inputs by adding some more terms. --Bhadani 17:05, 13 January 2006 (UTC)