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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Aasaikku Vayasillai

From Aasaikku Vayasillai · 1979

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
M. S. Vishwanathan
Music director
M. S. Vishwanathan
Details
Aasaikku Vayasillai1979

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics↻ English translation
Male
Aasaikku vayasillaiDesire has no age,
Adhai adakkiya manasillaiNor is there a mind that has controlled it.
Aasaikku vayasillaiDesire has no age,
Adhai adakkiya manasillaiNor is there a mind that has controlled it.
Male
Aarilirunthu ha nooru varaiFrom the age of six to ah a hundred,
Aarilirunthu nooru varaiFrom six to a hundred years,
Yaarai vittathu aasai valaiWhom has the net of desire spared?
Male
Aasaikku vayasillaiDesire has no age,
Adhai adakkiya manasillaiNor is there a mind that has controlled it.
Female
Thananam thananam thamthanamthanamThananam thananam thamthanamthanam
Thananam thananam thamthanamthanamThananam thananam thamthanamthanam
Thananam thananam thamthanamthanamThananam thananam thamthanamthanam
Thananam thananam thamthanamthanamThananam thananam thamthanamthanam
Mm….mheem….mm….mheem….mm….mheem….Mm....mheem....mm....mheem....mm....mheem....
Male
Pallum sollum pona pinnaalumEven after teeth and speech are gone,
Vayothi mannan aasaipattaanThe king Yayati still felt desire,
Pillaiyidaththil ilamaithannaiBorrowing youthfulness from his own son,
Kadanaai vaangi anupaviththaan anupaviththaanHe enjoyed and experienced it.
Male
Menagai mugaththil punnagai paarththuSeeing the smile on Menaka's face,
Vishvaamiththiran puththi kettaanSage Vishwamitra lost his wisdom,
Kaavi kamandalam thevaiyillaiyenaDeciding saffron robes and holy pot were unneeded,
Kadhaliththu oru pennai pettraanHe fell in love and fathered a girl child,
Pennai pettraan…aa….aa…..aa….aa….Fathered a girl child... aa....aa.....aa....aa....
Male
Aasaikku vayasillaiDesire has no age,
Adhai adakkiya manasillaiNor is there a mind that has controlled it.
Female
Thananam thananam thamthanamthanamThananam thananam thamthanamthanam
Thananam thananam thamthanamthanamThananam thananam thamthanamthanam
Thananam thananam thamthanamthanamThananam thananam thamthanamthanam
Thananam thananam thamthanamthanamThananam thananam thamthanamthanam
Mm….mheem….mm….mheem….mm….mheem….Mm....mheem....mm....mheem....mm....mheem....
Female
Samayam neram saathagamaanaalIf time and circumstance become favorable,
Ellaa manithanum keduvaandaaEvery human being will go astray, my friend.
Sathaiyum narambum surungum varaikkumUntil the flesh and nerves shrivel up,
Manmathan baanam viduvaandaaManmatha (Lord of Love) will keep shooting his arrows.
Male
Aasai endroru noolil thongiHanging by a single thread called desire,
Aada piranthom iruthi varaiWe are born to dance until our final day.
Naraiyum thiraiyum udambukkuthaandaaGrey hair and wrinkles belong only to the body,
Manasukku yaedhu mudhumai nilaiWhere is the state of old age for the mind?
Mudhumai nilai….aa….aa….aa….aa…Old age state....aa....aa....aa....aa...
Male
Aasaikku vayasillaiDesire has no age,
Adhai adakkiya manasillaiNor is there a mind that has controlled it.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

The song 'Aasaikku Vayasillai' is a philosophical masterpiece penned by Kannadasan that explores the ageless and uncontrollable nature of human desire. It emphasizes that from early childhood to extreme old age, no person is immune to the lure of passion. To illustrate this universal truth, Kannadasan draws from Hindu mythology, citing King Yayati, who borrowed his son's youth to satisfy his desires, and Sage Vishwamitra, whose years of ascetic penance dissolved upon seeing the celestial nymph Menaka. The lyrics further contrast the aging physical body with the immortal youthfulness of human cravings. While the skin wrinkles and hair turns grey with time, the mind remains forever vulnerable to desire. The song serves as a reflective commentary on human weakness, asserting that desire is the ultimate puppet master directing human lives until their very end.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamaani / Uvameyam)

“Yaarai vittathu aasai valai”

Desire is metaphorically described as a net ('aasai valai') that traps everyone, and as a thread ('aasai endroru nool') upon which humans dance.

Mythological Allusion

“Vayothi mannan aasaipattaan / Pillaiyidaththil ilamaithannai Kadanaai vaangi anupaviththaan”

References the Hindu mythological tale of King Yayati who swapped his old age for his son Puru's youth to continue enjoying worldly pleasures.

Mythological Allusion

“Menagai mugaththil punnagai paarththu / Vishvaamiththiran puththi kettaan”

References Sage Vishwamitra breaking his intense penance due to his attraction to the nymph Menaka, yielding a child (Shakuntala).

Rhetorical Question

“Manasukku yaedhu mudhumai nilai”

Poses philosophical questions to highlight that old age affects only the physical body, not the mental impulses of desire.

Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)

“Aasaikku vayasillai / Adhai adakkiya manasillai”

Repetition of the initial letter 'Aa' across connected lines.

Did you know?

Trivia

The song features lyrics by the renowned lyricist Kannadasan, who was celebrated for seamlessly weaving ancient Indian mythology and profound Vedantic philosophy into accessible Tamil cinema lyrics. The references to King Yayati and Sage Vishwamitra showcase his trademark style of using classical lore to explain universal human psychological traits.

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