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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 83 - dur-atikramah.

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Narasimhan Krishnamachari • January 5, 2003 


    SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 83 - dur-atikramah.  

782. dur-atikramah – a) He Who cannot be bypassed by those who seek
relief from samsAra.
	b) He Who cannot be transgressed because of fear of the consequences of disobeying Him.
	c) He for whom all sorrow is bypassed.
	d) He by transgressing whose orders, sorrow is the result.

Om dur-atikramAya namah.

The root involved in the nAma is kramu – pAda vikshepe  - to walk, to
step.  atikrama means overstepping, going beyond, breaching.  

a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that it is impossible to have
any recourse except Him if we wish to cross the ocean of sorrow.  He
gives several supporting references:

1.	yadA carmavad-AkASam veshTayishyanti mAnavAh    |
	tadA devam avij~nAya duhkhasyAntam nigacchati   ||  (SvetA. 6.20)

“The success with which one can reach the end of sorrow without
resorting to God, is the same as the success one would have in rolling
the whole firmament and putting it into a small leather bag”

2.	vAsudevam anArAdhya ko moksham samavApnuyAt
 
“Who can attain salvation without worshipping vAsudeva?”

3.	na hi vishNumRte kAcit gatiranyA vidhIyate    |
	ityevam satatam vedA gAyante nAtra samSayah   ||  (laiÂ’nga purANam
                                                                  24.43)

“All the veda-s are always singing in chorus that there is no other
means of redemption except the worship of vishNu.  There is no doubt
about this”.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers to the kAkAsura episode in support.  He went
round all three worlds for someone to protect Him from the astra of
Lord rAma, and ultimately had to come back to His feet for rescue.  In
SrImad rAmAyaNam, hanuman declares that if rAma decides that someone
should be killed, then no one in all the three  worlds, including
indra, brahma, rudra, or any other devatA can protect that person. 
nammAzhvAr reveals the same truth in his tiruvAimozhi pASuram 10.1.1
(kALamEgattai anRi maRRu ilam gatiyE), and 10.1.6 (tirumOgUr Attan –
Aptan tAmarai aDi inRi maRRu ilam araNE) – There is no recourse for us
except His Feet.

b) SrI SaÂ’nkara vyAkhyAnam is also that He cannot be transgressed.  This is 
because He is the source of fear for those who transgress His orders,
and none will dare to disobey them.  He gives kaThopanishad in support:

	bhayAt asya agnis-tapati bhayAt tapat I sUryah   |
	bhayAindrSvca vAyuSca mRtyur-dhAvati paÂ’ncamah   ||   (kaTho. 6.3)

“Through fear of Him burns the fire, through fear of Him shines the
sun, through fear of Him functions indra, the wind, and Death as the
fifth”.

We have a similar passage in the taittirIya upanishad:

	bhIshAsmAt vAtah pavate, bhIsdhodeyti sUryah, bhIshAsmAd 
        agniScendraSca, mRtyur-dhAvati paÂ’ncama iti | (taitti. 2.8.1)

“Out of His fear the wind blows; Out of fear the Sun rises; Out of His
fear runs Fire, as also Indra and Death, the fifth”.

c) SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives the explanation – duhkhasya atikramo
yasya sa dur-atikramah – He for whom all sorrow is bypassed.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha explains the nAma as meaning that He by
transgressing whose order, sorrow is the result – yo bhAgavatam niyamam
ullaÂ’ngate sa SaSavat dukkhameva Apnoti iti dur-atikramah.  SrI
baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives a similar interpretation – duhkhadah
atikramah Sasana ulla’nghanam asya iti dur-atikramh – Bypassing His
order will lead to sorrow.

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

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