यावानर्थ उदपाने सर्वतः सम्प्लुतोदके ।
तावान्सर्वेषु वेदेषु ब्राह्मणस्य विजानतः ॥ ४६ ॥
yāvān artha udapāne sarvataḥ samplutodake
tāvānsarveṣhu vedeṣhu brāhmaṇasya vijānataḥ
जिस प्रकार एक विशाल, उमड़ते जल से भरे सरोवर के पास खड़े व्यक्ति को जल के एक छोटे स्रोत के बारे में चिंता करने की आवश्यकता नहीं होती, उसी प्रकार, जो बुद्धिमान मनुष्य परम ब्रह्म को जान लेते हैं, वे वेदों में निहित सकाम कर्मों के लिए चिंतित नहीं होते।
Just as a person standing before a vast, overflowing lake does not have to concern himself with a small water source, so too, the wise who attain knowledge of the Supreme Brahman does not have to concern themselves with the fruitive knowledge contained in the Vedas.
In Bhagavad Gita 2.46, Krishna uses a vivid analogy to communicate a profound spiritual message. He compares the various roles of village wells—used separately for drinking, bathing cattle, and so on—to a person surrounded by an entire flood or great river. When water is available everywhere in abundance, the separate wells for different purposes become unnecessary. In the same way, Krishna says, the rituals and injunctions of the Vedas, which serve people at varying spiritual levels, become redundant for one who has realized the higher purpose—the Self or brahman.
The term “brahmana” in this context does not refer to caste, but to a thoughtful seeker who contemplates and seeks the knowledge of the absolute truth, or brahman. Such a person has gone beyond the rituals and externalities that form the stepping stones for those starting out on the spiritual journey. The “Vedas” here stand for all scriptural knowledge and prescribed actions intended to gradually purify and elevate the mind.
Krishna’s metaphor is straightforward yet illuminating. Just as a single well might suffice in a village, but is surpassed completely in utility when there is a flood of water all around, so too all the numerous rituals and rules prescribed in the scriptures serve a purpose only up to the point where ultimate knowledge is attained. Once one experiences the fullness of the divine reality or self-realization, the earlier prescribed actions are no longer obligatory, as their ultimate purpose has already been fulfilled.
The message thus connects to the core teaching of the Bhagavad Gita in chapter 2: actions and rituals are means to an end, not the end itself. The river of self-realization, or understanding the eternal connection with the Supreme, fulfills the underlying aim of all scriptural injunctions. For those who have reached this realization, the pursuit of external rituals ceases to be necessary, much like having no need for a small pond when living next to a vast river.
This perspective counters the notion that spiritual progress comes solely from rigidly following numerous rituals. Instead, Krishna highlights that such details, though important in the earlier stages, are ultimately pointers toward a greater destination. The one who has arrived at that destination naturally transcends the journey’s earlier steps, just as a school graduate no longer attends lower grade classes, having grasped the essence of what the school intended to impart.
The verse subtly alludes to the limitations of ritualistic practices, especially when performed without deeper understanding. It acknowledges that rituals and prescribed duties are necessary for those in the beginning, guiding them toward higher knowledge and purity. But clinging to them after reaching understanding is like clinging to the instruction manual after mastering the activity itself. Progress in spiritual life is marked by this shift from the external to the internal, from form to essence.
Interpreted philosophically, this verse has been the subject of different views among classical commentators. Shankara, for example, sees Krishna’s analogy as emphasizing the ultimate value of knowledge over ritual, while still affirming the preparatory necessity of rituals for those not yet established in knowledge. Ramanuja, on the other hand, stresses that external injunctions remain necessary up to the point where realization is truly achieved. Despite their different emphases, both agree that the true culmination of scriptural directives is in realizing the eternal Self and one’s relationship to the divine.
In essence, Krishna’s analogy invites us to appreciate the journey through rituals, knowledge, and spiritual practices, but not to become attached to them for their own sake. The ultimate goal is inner realization—a state where the externals naturally fall away, leaving only the direct experience of truth. Like a flood that makes individual wells unnecessary, deep realization renders redundant the many steps which had once seemed so essential.
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