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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Bannari Maariamma

From Solaiyamma · 1992

Lyricist
Kasthuri Raja
Singer
S. Janaki
Music director
Deva
Details
Solaiyamma1992

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Chorus
Lululululululu…….Ululations...
Lululululululu…….Ululations...
Female
Pannaari maariyammaaO Goddess Mariyamma of Bannari,
Paadi vanthaa solaiyammaaSolaiyamma has come singing to you.
Yaendi en vedhanai theerkkalaWhy have you not relieved my pain?
Pennthaanae neeyum ammaaAre you not a woman too, O Mother?
Penn maanam poganumaaMust a woman's honor be lost?
Thaandi nee vanthu yaen kaakkalaWhy did you not step forward and protect me?
Female
Pannaari maariyammaaO Goddess Mariyamma of Bannari,
Paadi vanthaa solaiyammaaSolaiyamma has come singing to you.
Yaendi en vedhanai theerkkalaWhy have you not relieved my pain?
Pennthaanae neeyum ammaaAre you not a woman too, O Mother?
Penn maanam poganumaaMust a woman's honor be lost?
Thaandi nee vanthu yaen kaakkalaWhy did you not step forward and protect me?
Female
Senja paavamenna solladi en aaththaaTell me, my mother, what sin did I commit?
Entha kaayamumae aarumae nee paaththaaAny wound would heal if you only look upon it.
Chorus :Senja paavamenna solladi en aaththaaChorus: Tell me, my mother, what sin did I commit?
Entha kaayamumae aarumae nee paaththaaAny wound would heal if you only look upon it.
Female
Pannaari maariyammaaO Goddess Mariyamma of Bannari,
Paadi vanthaa solaiyammaaSolaiyamma has come singing to you.
Yaendi en vedhanai theerkkalaWhy have you not relieved my pain?
Pennthaanae neeyum ammaaAre you not a woman too, O Mother?
Penn maanam poganumaaMust a woman's honor be lost?
Thaandi nee vanthu yaen kaakkalaWhy did you not step forward and protect me?
Female
{Seethai theekkulichchu{Sita walked through fire
Raamanaiththaan namba vaichchaaTo make Rama believe in her purity,
Raamaayanam sonna saethithaanThat is the message told by the Ramayana.
Kovam kondezhunthu kannagithaanKannagi rose in anger
Oor erichchaa naanumkooda antha saathithaan}(2)And burned the city; I belong to that same lineage too.}(2)
Female
Megam karukkanum may kaaththu adikkanumThe clouds must darken, and the summer wind must blow,
Mummaari saernthu peiyanumThe three seasonal rains must pour down together.
Ooru maththiyila en peru suththamunnuIn the middle of the town, that my name is pure,
Saathi sanam ninnu pesanumMy kinsfolk and townspeople should stand and speak.
Senja paavamenna solladi en aaththaaTell me, my mother, what sin did I commit?
Entha kaayamumae aarumae nee paaththaaAny wound would heal if you only look upon it.
Chorus
Senja paavamenna solladi en aaththaaTell me, my mother, what sin did I commit?
Entha kaayamumae aarumae nee paaththaaAny wound would heal if you only look upon it.
Female
Pannaari maariyammaaO Goddess Mariyamma of Bannari,
Paadi vanthaa solaiyammaaSolaiyamma has come singing to you.
Yaendi en vedhanai theerkkalaWhy have you not relieved my pain?
Pennthaanae neeyum ammaaAre you not a woman too, O Mother?
Penn maanam poganumaaMust a woman's honor be lost?
Thaandi nee vanthu yaen kaakkalaWhy did you not step forward and protect me?
Female
{Paadhai maaraladi paayeduththu podaladi{My path has strayed, I have laid down my mat,
paththiniya padhara vaichchaeYou made a chaste woman tremble in anguish.
Saami sannathikku saththiyamaa sera vantha poovuThe flower that truthfully came to reach the lord's shrine,
Onna karuga vaichchae} (2)You allowed it to wither away.}(2)
Female
Ooru sirichchathum ooyaama yaesinathumWhen the town laughed and ceaselessly scolded me,
Un kaadhil ketkavillaiyaaDid it not fall upon your ears?
Naadhiyattru ippa naanaaga thavikkiraenHelpless now, I squirm in agony all alone,
Nee kannil paarkkavillaiyaaDo you not see it with your own eyes?
Senja paavamenna solladi en aaththaaTell me, my mother, what sin did I commit?
Entha kaayamumae aarumae nee paaththaaAny wound would heal if you only look upon it.
Chorus
Senja paavamenna solladi en aaththaaTell me, my mother, what sin did I commit?
Entha kaayamumae aarumae nee paaththaaAny wound would heal if you only look upon it.
Female
Pannaari maariyammaaO Goddess Mariyamma of Bannari,
Paadi vanthaa solaiyammaaSolaiyamma has come singing to you.
Yaendi en vedhanai theerkkalaWhy have you not relieved my pain?
Chorus :Pennthaanae neeyum ammaaChorus: Are you not a woman too, O Mother?
Penn maanam poganumaaMust a woman's honor be lost?
Thaandi nee vanthu yaen kaakkalaWhy did you not step forward and protect me?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Pannari Maariyamma is a soul-stirring devotional lament from the movie Solaiyamma (1992). The female protagonist, tormented by social slander and injustice, addresses the village deity Mariyamma of Bannari. She appeals to the divine mother on the grounds of shared womanhood, questioning why her innocence and modesty were allowed to be tainted. Evoking legendary figures of virtue such as Sita and Kannagi, she demands divine intervention to prove her purity to her community.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Monai (Initial Alliteration)

Pannaari maariyammaa / Paadi vanthaa solaiyammaa

Repetition of the initial 'Pa' sound creating a rhythmic musicality in folk songs.

Rhetorical Question (Vinaa)

Pennthaanae neeyum ammaa / Penn maanam poganumaa

Interrogating the goddess to appeal to empathy and common womanhood.

Mythological Allusion (Ilakkiya Kurippu)

Seethai theekkulichchu... Kovam kondezhunthu kannagithaan

References to Sita's fire ordeal in Ramayana and Kannagi burning Madurai from Silappatikaram to establish chastity and virtue.

Metaphor (Uruvagamm)

Saami sannathikku saththiyamaa sera vantha poovu / Onna karuga vaichchae

Comparing an innocent woman's life to a sacred flower meant for deity worship that was left to wither.

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Trivia

Solaiyamma (1992) was written and directed by Kasthuri Raja, featuring music composed by Deva. The song powerfully blends folk melody with devotional grief.

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