- Lyricist
- Pulamaipithan
- Singers
- P. Susheela, Uma Ramanan
- Music director
- Ilayaraja
- Movie name
- Koyil Puraa
- Movie release year
- 1981
- Lyrics added on
- 28 Jun 2020
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song is a high praise of the Tamil language, its classical music traditions, and the transcendent nature of art. Comparing Tamil to divine nectar ('Amudhu'), the lyrics emphasize that Tamil devotional music—specifically ancient hymns like the Thevaram—forms the foundational bedrock of all musical expression. The song illustrates how listening to or singing pure Tamil music causes one to lose self-awareness as the mind melts in bliss. Furthermore, the song redefines real wealth, asserting that material possessions like gold and status are superficial compared to knowledge, artistic practice, and musical expression. Music is portrayed as an eternal, immortal entity; as long as music resides within a person's thoughts and dreams, physical death loses its sting.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uruvagam)
“Amudhae thamizhae / Azhagiya mozhiyae enadhuyirae”
Tamil is directly equated to nectar ('Amudhae Thamizhae') and life ('Enadhuyirae'), emphasizing its absolute sweetness and importance.
Anaphora / Parallelism (Edhugai and Monai)
“Pon alla poo alla porul alla selvangal”
Repetition of 'alla' to negate material possessions, setting up a rhythmic parallel structure.
Rhetorical Question
“Isai irundhaal maranam yaedhu”
A dramatic assertion that music bestows spiritual immortality, making death non-existent.
Simile / Imagery (Uvamai)
“Oon mezhugaai urugum karaiyum”
Visual and physical imagery comparing human consciousness melting in musical devotion to wax over heat.
Did you know?
Trivia
Composed by Ilaiyaraaja for the 1981 film 'Koyil Puraa', this song seamlessly blends Carnatic swara solfege with traditional Tamil poetic meter. It explicitly references 'Thevaram', the 7th-8th century Tamil Saivite devotional hymns, acknowledging their pivotal historical role in structuring South Indian classical music and melody.
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