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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Eerainthu Madhame

From Vanangamudi – 1957 Film · 1957

Lyricist
Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass
Singer
T. M. Soundararajan
Music director
G. Ramanathan
Details
Vanangamudi – 1957 Film1957

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Eeraindhu maadhamaeFor ten long months,
Idainogha udal noghaWith pain in her waist and aching in her body,
Eendredutha en ammaMy mother gave birth to me.
Yezhezhu jenmamaeEven across seven times seven births,
Eduthu naan vandhadhumaeIf I were to be reborn again and again,
Ennaiyae thundithuEven if I chop myself into pieces,
Kaanikkai vaithaalumaeAnd offer myself as a sacrifice,
En paabam theerumaaWill my sin ever be redeemed?
Ammaa…ammaaOh mother... Oh mother!
Male
Mutham kodutha vaai pattri eriyudhaeThe mouth that kissed me is catching fire and burning,
Nitham anaitha karam neeraaga veghudhaeThe hands that embraced me daily are melting into fluid from the heat,
Ulagil ennai thatham koduthu udalHaving given me away to this world, her body
Thanalaal thaghikudhaeIs scorching in the blazing embers,
Sitham thudithiduthae sentheeyum soozhndhidudhaeMy heart quivers in anguish as fierce fire surrounds her,
Ammaa…ammaa…ammaa…Oh mother... Oh mother... Oh mother!

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This heartbreaking lament expresses the profound grief and guilt of a son watching his mother's body burn on the funeral pyre. He remembers the immense physical suffering she endured during ten months of pregnancy to bring him into the world, and feels that no sacrifice across forty-nine births—even cutting himself to pieces as an offering—could ever erase his sins or repay her boundless love. As the flames consume her, he vividly describes the tragedy of seeing the mouth that kissed him and the arms that held him daily being engulfed by fire. The song captures deep remorse, filial devotion, and the devastating realization of motherly sacrifice contrasted against mortal mortality.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Edhukai (Second Letter Rhyme)

Mutham kodutha vaai pattri eriyudhae / Nitham anaitha karam neeraaga veghudhae

The second consonant sound 'th' rhymes between 'Mutham' and 'Nitham', establishing rhythmic harmony across lines.

Hyperbole (Exaggeration)

Yezhezhu jenmamae... Ennaiyae thundithu Kaanikkai vaithaalumae

The speaker dramatically states that even cutting himself into pieces across forty-nine births as an offering would not absolve his debt to his mother.

Visual Imagery

Mutham kodutha vaai pattri eriyudhae / Nitham anaitha karam neeraaga veghudhae

Paints a poignant, painful image of the funeral pyre consuming the loving mouth and embracing arms of the mother.

Did you know?

Trivia

This iconic funeral lament from Vanangamudi (1957) highlights the signature emotional vocal range of T.M. Soundararajan, picturised on Sivaji Ganesan. It remains one of Tamil cinema's most famous songs centered on maternal love and grief.

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