श्री लक्ष्मीनरसिंहाय नमः
श्रीमदानन्दतिर्थभगवत्पादाचार्यगुरुभ्यो नमः
श्रीमद्व्यासतीर्थगुरुभ्यो नमः
The illustration of liquids merging is given in various scriptural texts. Most frequent is the illustration of rivers merging into the Ocean. But what is the purport of that illustration? Some people wrongly think the illustration is meant to show that merging liquids become one; that is, the purport of such illustration is identity.
Shriman Madhvacharya has argued against that in various works. For example, in his Gitabhashya (2nd chapter end), he says: तत्राप्यन्योन्यात्मकत्वे वृद्ध्यसम्भवः । अस्ति चेषत् समुद्रेऽपि द्वारि.
If two mixing liquids were to become identical, an increase (in volume) would be impossible. But a bit of that is indeed seen at the estuary (the point where river merges with the ocean).
This point is explained further, greatly so, by Shri Vyasatirtha in his tatparya-chandrika on भोक्त्रधिकरण.
He says: There is no identity between liquids post-merge. Such a notion is against the Kathopanishat, which limits the resultant to similarity only - तादृगेव (and not identity), and also against the smriti which even adduces a reason to deny identity.
The Upanishat says: यथोदकं शुद्धे शुद्धमासिक्तं तादृगेव भवति । एवं मुनेर्विजानत आत्मा भवति गौतम ॥
Just like pure water when mixed with (another volume of) pure water, becomes similar to that water, even a knower of Brahman becomes similar to Brahman, in liberation.
The Smriti referred by Shri Vyasatirtha is the Skanda Purana referred by Shrimad Acharya in his Bhashya on the above adhikaraNa: स्कान्दे च - उदकं तूदके सिक्तं विश्रमेव यथा भवेत् । न चैतदेव भवति यतो वृद्धिः प्रदृश्यते ॥
The Purana states that when two liquids are merged, they mix (and stay in one place). One does not become other because increase in volume is observed.
Shri Vyasatirtha adds, “Not just on the account of increase in volume, even on the account on differences between the previous state and final state of the mixed liquids, in terms of temperature, taste, (density etc.) there is no identity between them”.
After all, the river water is sweet whereas the sea water is salty. The temperatures of mixed liquids is different, if there is a difference pre-mixture!
Indian philosophers often quote hamsa-kshira-nyaya viz. a swan’s ability to extract milk only from diluted milk (to encourage accepting only what is good in others, without getting influenced by other elements in them). Shri Vyasatirtha asks, if the merged liquids become identical, ‘does it mean there is identity between the liquids the swan is differentiating?’
He extends these questions to solids - when molten gold and other metals are mixed, and if identity were the outcome of such mixture, how come the products of such mixtures i.e. alloys have value, strength etc. different from the original substances used?
He shows more absurdities of the identity post mixture idea: would a mix of alcohol and milk be considered milk (i.e. acceptable like milk)? And the world knows very well that there are differences in color, taste etc. of waters in rivers before merging with their tributaries or after splitting into distributaries before joining the ocean.
Shri Vyasatirtha points out that the mixture of liquids does not produce ‘identical’ liquid - is accepted even by Bhamati (Vachaspati Mishra’s popular commentary on Shankaracharya’s Brahmasutrabhashya). While commenting on advaita bhashya on अवस्थितेरिति काशकृत्स्नः (1.4.22), Bhamati says - what do you intend by the word ‘river’ (that is said to have merged). Is it the body of water having a particular form, or the starting mass of water that has just joined? It cannot be either, for they have already vanished after merging. Therefore one cannot say the ‘living’ ocean is identical with the already collapsed ‘river’. Or are you referring to the molecules of the incoming stream? If so, that difference is maintained even post merging. The molecules of the incoming stream do not become identical with each other, or with the ocean.
Shri Vyasatirtha concludes: Thus, just like mustards when poured on a heap (of mustards) or just when people entering a sabhA are said to become one, even in case of two liquids, the resultant is only a mixture and not identity. Due to close proximity of these components (of that mixture), the differences may not be perceptible, that’s all.
Ofcourse, there is never a complete match between the illustrated and the illustration: न हि दृष्टान्ते सर्वसमः There will be some differences. But this acceptance cannot be abused to give random illustrations. There has to be some coherence between the illustration and the illustrated; the main purport has been same between the illustrated and illustration. The illustration of merging liquids is misplaced if the intention is to illustrate identity after merge. If anything, the Shruti itself is conveying aupachArika prayoga औपचारिक-प्रयोग (figurative usage) through the means of this illustration of different rivers merging in the Ocean. And this point too is highlighted by Shri Vyasatirtha who says (in the same section) :
भिन्न-नद्यब्धि-दृष्टान्तं वदन्तीयं श्रुतिः स्वयं ।
गौणार्थपरतां स्वस्याः आचष्टे स्पष्टमेव नः ॥
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There are other 'points of illustration' in using the idea of rivers merging into the Ocean:
1. Gita 2.70 refers to this analogy
आपूर्यमाणमचलप्रतिष्ठं समुद्रमापः प्रविशन्ति यद्वत् ।
तद्वत्कामा यं प्रविशन्ति सर्वे स शान्तिमाप्नोति न कामकामी
Just like the rivers enter the Ocean do not make any (significant) difference to the already complete Ocean, so do these desires enter a jnAni but do not affect the Jnaani.
It is very clear that this illustration is not meant for identity, instead how the merging basin (Ocean) is not afflicted by merging rivers.
2. Gita 11.28 :
यथा नदीनां बहवोऽम्बुवेगाः समुद्रमेवाभिमुखा द्रवन्ति |
तथा तवामी नरलोकवीरा विशन्ति वक्त्राण्यभिविज्वलन्ति ॥
Here Arjuna describes how all warriors enter the blazing faces of Lord, using the illustration of rivers entering a sea. Very evidently, the illustration is hardly about identity, instead of having a single unchanging destination point for multiple liquids.
श्री मध्वेशकृष्णार्पणमस्तु
A slightly shorter variant of this article was published on the Aradhana mahotsava (2024) of Shri Vyasatirtha Mahaprabhu.