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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Anbenum Pidiyul

From Sakkarai Panthal · 1988

Lyricist
Vallalar Ramalinga Adigal
Singer
Sunantha
Music director
Ilayaraja
Details
Sakkarai Panthal1988

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Anbenum pidiyul agappadum malaiyaeO Mountain that gets caught within the small grasp called love!
Anbenum kudil pugum arasaeO Emperor who enters the humble hut called love!
Anbenum valaikut paduparam porulaeO Supreme Reality trapped within the net called love!
Anbenum karaththamar amuthae….ae….O Nectar resting upon the hand called love!
Female
Anbenum kadaththul adangidum kadalae…ae…O vast Ocean contained within the small pot called love!
Anbenum uyir olir arivae…..ae…O Wisdom that illuminates the life called love!
Anbenum anuvullamaintha peroliyae….ae….O Immense Light residing inside the tiny atom called love!
Anburuvaam parmasivamae…ae….O Supreme Shiva who is the very embodiment of love!
Sivamae sivamae sivamae sivamae…ae…..O Shiva! O Shiva! O Shiva! O Shiva!

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This divine hymn composed by Vallalar (Ramalinga Swamigal) highlights the transcendent power of love (Anbu) in capturing the infinite Divine. The poet uses striking paradoxes to show that while God is as vast as a mountain, an ocean, and a great light, He willingly allows Himself to be bound, contained, and held by the simple, sincere devotion of love.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Anaphora (Initial Repetition / Emoni)

Anbenum pidiyul agappadum malaiyae

The word 'Anbenum' (meaning 'called love') is repeated at the beginning of consecutive lines to create a rhythmic, chant-like devotion.

Paradox (Muran)

Anbenum kadaththul adangidum kadalae

Contrasting massive or infinite divine concepts (Mountain, Ocean, Great Light) with tiny containers (a fist, a pot, an atom) to show how love can hold the infinite.

Metaphor (Uruvagama)

Anbenum valaikut paduparam porulae

Equating love directly to physical objects or enclosures such as a hut, a net, a hand, and an atom.

Did you know?

Trivia

This poem is a famous excerpt from the 'Thiruvarutpa', a collection of thousands of devotional verses composed by the 19th-century saint Vallalar (Ramalinga Swamigal), who emphasized 'Anbe Sivam' (Love is God) and 'Jeevakarunyam' (compassion towards all living beings).

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