மன்னுபுகழ் - 8

மலையதனால் அணை கட்டி மதிளிலங்கை அழித்தவனே!
அலைகடலைக் கடைந்து அமரர்க்கு அமுதருளிச் செய்தவனே!
கலை வலவர் தாம் வாழும் கணபுரத்தென் கருமணியே!
சிலை வலவா! சேவகனே! சீராமா! தாலேலோ!

Meaning
The One who built a bridge with the mountains and destroyed Lanka surrounded by walls
The One who churned the wavy ocean and graced the ambrosia to the Devas
The black gem of Kannapuram, which is full people well versed in the arts
Oh Sri Rama, the master archer, the servant, may you sleep

பாறைகளால் அணை கட்டி மதிள் சூழ்ந்த இலங்கையை அழித்தவனே! அலை வீசும் பாற்கடலைக் கடைந்து அமரருக்கு அமுதம் அருளியவனே! கலைகள் எல்லாம் வல்லவர் நிறைந்து வாழும் திருக்கண்ணபுரத்தில் வாழும் என் கருமாணிக்கமே! வலக்கரத்தில் வில் தாங்கியவனே! காவலனே! சீராமா! தாலேலோ!

Events covered from the Ramayana
Rama's building a bridge over the sethu samudram and destroyig Lanka with the Vaanara sena

Again, the efficacy of the Rama Nama which was covered in the earlier post resurfaces here, although not explicitly. Bhagavathas might remember how boulders used to build the bridge on the ocean started to float when the Rama Nama was inscribed on them

The aazhwar is reminded of a similar feat of Bhagavan with another ocean. The ocean of milk or the paarkadal which is His abode. In those earlier days, was He not the same person who took the form of the Tortoise, the Dhanvanthiri and the Naachiyaar Thirukkolam to churn the nectar from the ocean and offer it to the devas? Sri Mahaalakshmi, the 'amudhil vanda pennamudhu' (The nectar like lady who came with the nectar) came back to Him with the ocean's churning. The same thaayar is going to come back to Rama after He crosses this ocean

Again the aazhwar recounts the glory of Thirukannapuram which is full of learned people. So much so, it is said that, even if the people of Thirukannapuram indulge in thinnai pechchu (general gossip sitting on the pyol), it becomes a conversation about the shaastraas.

The aazhwar calls Rama a 'sevakan' or a servant in the last line. Rama, a servant? Where did aazhwar get this concept? From the original Ramayana of course. In our previous post we discussed the Vaali vadam. In that context, to pacify Vaali, Rama puts forth the following arguments

Raama: 'Oh Vaali. This whole Bhaaratha desam belongs to the Ikshvaaku Race, and Bharatha is the king of this kingdom. I am his SERVANT. And it is my duty to protect the subjects (like Sugriva) of Bharatha and punish the wrong doers (like Vaali) in this land'

Here, Rama, instead of calling himself the king of Ayodhya (which would be true according to everybody in Ayodhya, including Bharatha) he prefers to call himself a servant of Bharatha. That is Raama's nature - to stay humble and true to his words - words that convinced Bharatha to rule from Ayodhya, till he returned.