Shloka 23

अविद्याबीज-निरूपणं, योगस्वरूप-उपदेशः, मूर्तहरिधारणा-समाधि, जनकवंशीय-राजर्षिसंवादः

Devanagari script

जलस्य नाग्निसंसर्गः स्थालीसङ्गात् तथापि हि शब्दोद्रेकादिकान् धर्मांस् तत् करोति यथा मुने

Transliteration

jalasya nāgnisaṃsargaḥ sthālīsaṅgāt tathāpi hi śabdodrekādikān dharmāṃs tat karoti yathā mune

Translation

น้ำมิได้สัมผัสไฟโดยตรง; แต่ด้วยความเกี่ยวข้องกับหม้อ (ภาชนะ) จึงปรากฏคุณสมบัติอย่างเสียงที่ดังขึ้นและอื่น ๆ—ดูก่อนฤๅษี ก็ฉันนั้นแล

Word by Word

जलस्यof water

नnot

अग्निसंसर्गःcontact with fire

स्थालीसङ्गात्from contact with the pot

तथापिnevertheless

हिindeed, for

शब्दोद्रेकादिकान्such as sound-increase etc.

धर्मान्properties

तत्that (it)

करोतिproduces, makes

यथाas, just as

मुनेO sage

Speaker

Sage Parāśara

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Illustration of how the self appears to take on prakṛti’s properties through association (saṅga)

Teaching: Philosophical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Though water does not directly touch fire, by association with a pot it manifests effects; likewise the self seems to manifest prakṛti’s properties through mediated association.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: Notice ‘mediated’ influences (body, senses, social conditioning) and avoid misidentifying them as the true self; cultivate detachment from borrowed attributes.

Vishishtadvaita: Bondage is explained via sambandha/saṅga rather than intrinsic defect: the jīva’s nature is not destroyed, only obscured by contact through upādhis (limiting adjuncts).

Characters & Entities

Sage Parāśara

Maitreya

FAQs

What is the significance of the water–pot–fire analogy in the Vishnu Purana?

It illustrates how a substance can exhibit new, observable properties through proximity and intermediary association, supporting the text’s explanation of how manifest qualities arise in the world-order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the appearance of properties without direct contact?

He uses causal reasoning: even without direct fire-contact, water can show effects (like heightened sound) because association with a vessel mediates the influence—an analogy for how prakṛti’s qualities become evident through conditions.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Though the verse is framed as a causal example, the broader teaching situates such orderly manifestation under the supreme governance of Vishnu, in whom cosmic law and intelligibility ultimately rest.