- Lyricist
- Ka. Mu. Sheriff
- Singer
- N. L. Ganasaraswathi
- Music director
- G. Ramanathan
- Movie name
- Devaki (1951)
- Movie release year
- 1951
- Lyrics added on
- 21 Nov 2025
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song is a poignant, emotional plea sung by a distressed wife to the Divine Mother Goddess. Deeply grieved by her husband's incurable illness that has reduced him to a living corpse, she questions if their dreams of a joyful worldly life were in vain. She surrenders entirely to the Goddess as her sole refuge. In a supreme act of marital devotion and sacrifice, she begs the Goddess to transfer her husband's karmic suffering and illness onto her, pleading for his life to be spared.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Anaphora / Refrain
“Annaiyae naan anaathai”
Repetition of the line 'Annaiyae naan anaathai' emphasizes the protagonist's sense of helplessness and utter reliance on the divine mother.
Metaphor
“Nadaipinamaaga nadamaadavo”
Comparing the ailing husband to a 'nadaipinam' (living corpse) graphically conveys his physical suffering and lifeless state.
Rhetorical Question
“Olamiduvathu un sevi vizhavillaiyo”
Asking whether her wailing cry reaches the Goddess's ears conveys desperation and intensifies the emotional tone of the prayer.
Aethel / Altruistic Sacrifice Motif
“Vinaiyaanaal enakkantha noi thanthu naathanai kaavaai”
The lyrics capture a classic poetic trope of sacrificial love where the devotee offers to absorb the negative karma and disease of her beloved.
Did you know?
Trivia
The song was composed by master musician G. Ramanathan for the 1951 film Devaki, featuring lyrics by Ka. Mu. Sheriff. It was rendered by N. L. Ganasaraswathi, a prominent Carnatic musician and early playback singer celebrated for her soul-stirring vocal technique in devotional film music.
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