Tridents (was Re: FreeBSD Version Release numbers)

[Rahul Siddharthan]

Terry Lambert wrote:
> They are not technically tridents.  They are a symbol of the
> Hindu god Vishnu.

They are technically tridents, if you define a trident as a
three-pronged pitchfork-like object (the original word is "trishul",
and they are a symbol of Shiva, not Vishnu.

Hindu mythology is a rich and complex beast.  It's unfortunate that
some present-day Hindus confuse the mythology with the philosophy.
Nevertheless, saying "Hindus in India carry trishuls" is like saying
"Christians in America bomb abortion clinics."  You're talking about a
fringe -- a dangerous fringe that must be tackled, and that has
worrying ties with the government in power, but still a fringe.

- Rahul