5

I observed some of the users are editing the posts to include or . I just need to clarify my doubt about what I think about these tags.

  • : Believes lord Shiva as supreme God. (refers Shiv puran)
  • : Believes lord Vishnu as supreme God. (refers Vishnu puran)

IMO, these are two different cultures which was already known to us from ancient history.

So, I think these tags should not be included in the posts until the OP is specifically looking for answers based on Vishnu/Shiv puran.

7
  • Shiv Puran is nothing but about lord Shiva, so Shaivism used by few users is only on the questions related to lord Shiva, so in a way, it is correct.
    – Mr. Alien
    Jul 22, 2014 at 7:59
  • @Mr.Alien the stories differ in those purans to show that their god is superior (in few cases).
    – Mr_Green
    Jul 22, 2014 at 8:15
  • Superior is not the question here, relevance is what we have to see, and I feel its relevant, it is just like using Mahabharata tag when you speak about Krishna or Ramayana tag when you speak about lord Rama
    – Mr. Alien
    Jul 22, 2014 at 8:17
  • @Mr.Alien I am saying that the stories differ based on the puranas. if someone edit the post later with shaivism or vaishnavism tag then they are making the question narrow related to that purana and it might effect already present answers as they might be based on other scriptures. and also the OP might not be intended to support Shaivism or Vaishnavism here.
    – Mr_Green
    Jul 22, 2014 at 8:20
  • I don't see Shaivism mentioned anywhere
    – Mr. Alien
    Jul 22, 2014 at 8:21
  • @Mr.Alien if you check shaivism wiki then you will find this line "The Shiva Purana is the ultimate resource of the Historical Presence of Shaivism in Society of Modern India."
    – Mr_Green
    Jul 22, 2014 at 8:23
  • Well, I don't have much information over this so we will wait for some experts to shower their opinions
    – Mr. Alien
    Jul 22, 2014 at 8:24

1 Answer 1

7

We should definitely not put a Shaivism tag on a question just because it's about Shiva. Questions about Shiva, questions about Shaivism, and questions about the Shiva Purana are three conceptually distinct categories.

Vaishnavism and Shaivism are philsophies that, as you said, respectively posit that Vishnu and Shiva are supreme. Now it's true Vishnu Purana focuses on the greatness of Vishnu and the Shiva Purana focuses on the greatness of Shiva, and but that's not all these Puranas are; they are illustrious accounts that cover all sorts of subjects. And by the same token, while Vaishnavites might put more stock into the Vishnu and Shaivites might believe the words of the Shiva Purana more, the differences between Vaishnavites and Shavites doesn't boil down to the differences between the Vishnu Purana and the Shiva Purana. Some disputes that Vaishnavites and Shaivites have may be about things that have nothing to do with the topics discussed in those books, and other topics may be addressed in those books but the determinants of the beliefs concerning such subjects may lie elsewhere, like the Pancharatra Agamas.

So to sum up, we shouldn't conflate Vaishnavism/Shaivism with Vishnu Purana/Shiva Purana. The first two tags should be used for questions about the philosophies, and the second two tags should be used for questions about those particular books. If you happen to want to know what the story of Kala Bhairava is in the Shiva Purana, that doesn't mean you want to find the "Shaivite" view of Kalabhairava. And if you want to know why Gaudiya Vaishnavas place more emphasis on Krishna than on other purna avataras, the answer is not going to be found in the Vishnu Purana's description of Krishna.

3
  • But don't you think adding Shaivism or Vaishnavism tag to a question by other users narrows the discussion? I mean the OP might not be actually intended to look in Shaivism view while asking a question about lord shiva.
    – Mr_Green
    Jul 22, 2014 at 8:53
  • 2
    @Yeah, we should definitely not put a Shaivism tag on a question just because it's about Shiva. Questions about Shiva, questions about Shaivism, and questions about the Shiva Purana are three conceptually distinct categories. Jul 22, 2014 at 9:00
  • please include that in answer :)
    – Mr_Green
    Jul 22, 2014 at 9:03

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .