The Geography of the Puranas c7.s4.43

c7.s4.43

(iv) Oceans or seas of milk, curd, clarified butter, sugarcane juice or wine should not be taken too literally. Oceanic waters differ in colour, salinity, density, turbulence, percentage and colour of silt, bottom deposits or organic growth (e.g., corals). They give some superficial character to the water bodies which are often named after them. The White Sea, the Black Sea, the Red Sea, the Yellow Sea, the Green Sea (‘Behr-i-Arzaq’ of the Arabs), the Blue Nile and White Nile, etc. do not signify the actual colour of the water but indicate a characteristic caused by the presence of impurities or other features of their surface or bottom or their contents.