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Sri:
Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:

Dear BhAgavatas,

These are interesting and important points. 

The word dhUrastan, I think, clearly is meant for
the mind and not the physical aspect (at least in
these times). The fact is that Sriman Narayana is
sarva vyApakan. Recall that earlier sUtras defined
the manthras into two categories and the Narayana
mantra is a vyApaka mantra. So, it is tough to say
that He is physically a dhUrastan. After all, He 
is the antharyami of everything. But there are 
times when He becomes difficult to reach either 
due to the jIva's nature or due to His leela and 
His svatantrya guNa.

In the examples used, note that Draupadi's initial 
status was that she could save herself. Only after 
going through a series of methods does she moves to 
complete surrender. So, mentally she was not close 
to Him initially. In the end, all she did was 
surrender and cry out His Govinda nama. 

In the case of Sri Hanuman crossing the ocean, he 
was not physically close to Sri Rama. But even if 
he was, we have to remember that Sri Rama chose the 
role of the ideal man for this avatar and as such 
would play the part to its fullest extent. So, He 
would not have done anything that would have 
revealed His parathvam. This would also be the 
reason why He would build a bridge, why He would 
fight a regular war, and so on.

The case of Ajamilan is a perfect example. In fact,
in the upcoming sutras, Sri Pillai Lokacharyar goes
on to explain how His nama will help even when 
uttered without the proper bhAva.

One thing I was wondering as I was typing this sutra
about His being distant was the possibility that it
might be misconstrued as the translation is severely
limited by my poor abilities and even poorer knowledge.
The more I read and translate the Mumukshuppadi the 
more I fear that I may be doing a disservice, as 
this is truly a rahasya grantha and as such is best 
understood when taught by an acharya. I am even 
wondering if I should stop these posts. I look 
forward to your advice on this matter.

adiyEn
TCA Venkatesan

--- sampath kumar <sampathkumar_2000@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Dear SrimAn VTCA,
> 
> May I pose an interesting thought, just for the sake of
> enjoyment of
> the 'rasa' of the above 'sutra'?
> 
> The word "dhUrasthan" connotes physical distance and may
> commonly
> taken to mean a devotee who is physically distant from
> God. Draupadi
> was very distant ("dhurastan") from Krishna when she was
> being
> disrobed in the court of DhritarAshtra. Hanuman was very
> distant
> ("dhurastan") from Rama while crossing the ocean to
> Lanka. 
> 
> The word "dhurastan" also has a much profounder meaning.
> Someone like
> Ajamilan was also a "dhurastan" in the sense that in his
> lifetime he
> lived irreligiously... he disregarded God and God's
> commandments. He
> who is not God-fearing is also said to be a "dhurastan"
> ...
> 
> However, even a "dhurastan" like Ajamilan, the "purAnA"
> tells us,
> obtained redemption thanks to the sacred mantra, the
> "tiruvashtAksharam". In his opening decad in the Periya
> TirumOzhi,
> Tirumangai-AzhwAr says the same thing. He bemoans the
> days he
> frittered away in life in pursuit of un-Godly things, of
> how distant
> or "far away" he was from the presence of God... as an
> unfortunate
> "dhurastan"... And yet the AzhwAr was in the end, thanks
> solely to
> the Grace bestowed upon him by the mantra, ("nArayaNa
> enra
> tirunAmam", to use his phrase) ... able to discover the
> Glory and
> Bliss of God. 
> 
> If a "dhurastan" like Ajamilan won redemption through
> this 'mantra',
> it gives us ordinary mortals great hope, doesn't it?
> 
> Adiyane would therefore ask, "Isn't it more meaningful to
> regard the
> word "dhurastan" as fitting epithet for someone like
> Ajamilan rather
> than someone like Hanuman?"
> 
> Regards,
> 
> dAsan,
> Sudarshan 




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