Ramanuja's Summary of the Advaitin's Position - 1

[S. Sriram]

> However, why place all of it at the same level, when each Sruti statement
> itself tells us of the hierarchy in which it is placed?

Maybe hierarchy could be better said as "valid in the one plane".
Nevertheless, this is where I think we come  up with an intractable
difference in the two world views 'on this point' - which than leads into
the other issues i.e. pramAnas and their validity and the nature of
consciousness, arguments for which lead right back to the need
to sustain valid-invalid sruti, which leads back to apaccheda nyaya.

>If we impose a
> distinction between substance and attribute, between body and soul, in the
> state of moksha also, then that is what directly contradicts the Sruti
> statement, neha nAnAsti kiMcana.

Ramnuja's interpretation of neha nAnAsti kiMcana is in complete
conformance with the body-soul relationship. He states that it does not
mean "there is no distinction" but rather "things are not distinct  in that
there is no distinction to be made between them".

Using your river, sea, water analogy where you note river =~ jiva, sea
=~saguna
Brahman and water =~ nirguna Brahman, the various molecules of water 'each
are
separate' from the other, however there is no distinction to be made between
them
inasmuch as they are all identical molecules of water. (This analogy maynot
be the
most appropriate, - because of the indweller, all-pervasive characteristic
of the soul -
but suffices for explaining the point).

Thanks
Srinivasan Sriram