- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- Chithoor Nagaiya
- Music director
- Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
- Movie name
- Jaya Gopi
- Movie release year
- 1955
- Lyrics added on
- 22 Sept 2025
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This emotional song from the film 'Jaya Gopi' (1955) is an anguish-filled lament addressed to Mother Kaveri, personified as a motherly river that has turned destructive. The speaker questions how the revered river could act so cruelly and snatch away the life of young Gopi, a innocent and noble boy who loved Tamil and only ever returned good for evil. The song expresses deep despair over losing a sanctuary in a mother figure and pleads for grace and the preservation of Gopi's spirit in the hearts of his people.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Personification (Uruvagatham)
“Amma kaveri un anbu ullam engae”
Addressing River Kaveri as a mother ('Amma Kaveri') with feelings, intentions, and a heart.
Antithesis / Contrast (Ethir-sol)
“Abagaaram seiyyum yaarkkum Ubakaaram seiyyum gobi”
Contrasting 'Abagaaram' (harmful act) with 'Ubakaaram' (beneficial/kind act) to highlight Gopi's virtuous nature.
Rhyme (Monnai / Ethirai)
“Abagaaram seiyyum yaarkkum / Ubakaaram seiyyum gobi”
Use of matching initial sound / secondary rhyming syllables in 'Abagaaram' and 'Ubakaaram' or 'Amma' and 'Ullam'.
Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navitchi)
“Piralaya kaala bayangaramae”
Comparing the river's rush to the terror of cosmic destruction ('Piralaya kaala bayangaramae').
Did you know?
Trivia
The film 'Jaya Gopi' (1955) featured music by the iconic duo Viswanathan-Ramamoorthy and lyrics by the legendary poet Kannadasan. Renowned actor and singer Chithoor V. Nagaiah rendered this soulful, mournful track with intense classical pathos.
Keep listening
Songs with a similar feeling
From the same album
More songs from Jaya Gopi
View albumSpot an issue?
Help us improve the lyrics or English translation.