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IsaimozhiLyrics · Translation · Meaning

Lyrics & meaning

Ellu Vaya Pookalaye

From Asuran · 2019

Lyricist: Yugabharathi
Singer: Saindhavi
Music director: G. V. Prakash Kumar
Movie name: Asuran
Movie release year: 2019
Lyrics added on: 4 Sept 2019

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics

↻ English translation

Ellu vaya pookalayae

Yereduthum paakalayae

Aalala un sirippu koththuthaiyaa

Acharuntha raattinam pola suthuthaiyaa

Kollaiyila vaazha yela

Kottadiyil kozhi kunju

Aththanaiyum un mugatha solluthaiyaa

Aadum maadum verum vaaya melluthaiya

Kaathoda un vaasam

Kaadellaam un paasam

Oothaattam on nenappae ooruthaiyaa

Salsaappu venam vandhu nillaiyaa

Saavaiyum kooru pottu kollaiyaa

Kallaaga ninnaaiyo

Kaal nooga ninnaaiyo

Kannae nee thirumbi varanum

Veettukku

Mallandhu ponaalum

Mannodu saanjaalum

Aiyaa nee perumai saadhi

Sanaththukku

Thalachan pullai illaama

Sarinjathu yethena aatchi

Neeyae enga raasa vaa vaa kalaththikku

Thaaiyoda baaram maasam paththaiyaa

Thaangaama neeyum ponaa thappaiyaa

Ellu vaya pookalayae

Yereduthum paakalayae

Aalala un sirippu koththuthaiyaa

Acharuntha raattinam pola suthuthaiyaa

Vaal yendhi vanthaalum

Vaazhaama seththaalum

Gambeeram koranjidatha

Neruppu nee

Aiyonnu ponaalum

Aagasam ponaalum

Thanneera kolaththil serkkum

Varappu nee

Uzhaikka ennura aala

Udhaichi thallura oora

Kaiya kaala vetti veesum

Karuppu nee

Katteri unnai kanda odaatho

Kaapaatha deivam vandhu seraadho

Ellu vaya pookalayae

Yereduthum paakalayae

Aalala un sirippu koththuthaiyaa

Acharuntha raattinam pola suthuthaiyaa

Kollaiyila vaazha yela

Kottadiyil kozhi kunju

Aththanaiyum un mugatha solluthaiyaa

Aadum maadum verum vaaya melluthaiya

Kaathoda un vaasam

Kaadellaam un paasam

Oothaattam on nenappae ooruthaiyaa

Salsaappu venam vandhu nillaiyaa

Saavaiyum kooru pottu kollaiyaa

The sesame field hasn’t bloomed yet,

and you haven’t even looked up at us.

Your smile pierces my heart like poison, my son,

making my head spin like a broken Ferris wheel.

The banana leaf in the backyard,

the little chick in the shed—

every single thing reminds me of your face, my son.

The cows and goats just chew with empty mouths, my son.

Your scent drifts on the breeze,

your love fills the whole land,

and memories of you keep welling up like a spring, my son.

No more excuses—come and stand before me, my son.

Cut death into pieces and destroy it, my son!

Did you turn into stone?

Did you stand until your feet ached?

My dear child, you must return

home.

Even if you have fallen flat,

even if you have sunk into the dust,

my son, you are the pride

of our people.

Without their firstborn son,

how many kingdoms have crumbled?

You are our king—come back, come back to the field!

A mother bears her burden for ten months, my son;

it is wrong of you to leave without holding on.

The sesame field hasn’t bloomed yet,

and you haven’t even looked up at us.

Your smile pierces my heart like poison, my son,

making my head spin like a broken Ferris wheel.

Even if you came wielding a sword,

even if you died before truly living,

you are a fire whose dignity

will never dim.

Even if you were lost to tragic cries,

even if you departed to the sky,

you are the earthen ridge

that guides water into the pond.

To the town that kicks and tramples

working people down,

you are the one who chops off their limbs—

you are Karuppu (a fierce guardian deity).

Wouldn’t evil spirits flee at the sight of you?

Won’t a god arrive to protect you?

The sesame field hasn’t bloomed yet,

and you haven’t even looked up at us.

Your smile pierces my heart like poison, my son,

making my head spin like a broken Ferris wheel.

The banana leaf in the backyard,

the little chick in the shed—

every single thing reminds me of your face, my son.

The cows and goats just chew with empty mouths, my son.

Your scent drifts on the breeze,

your love fills the whole land,

and memories of you keep welling up like a spring, my son.

No more excuses—come and stand before me, my son.

Cut death into pieces and destroy it, my son!

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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Ellu Vaya Pookalaye from the movie Asuran is a deeply poignant maternal lament and tribute sung by a mother mourning and remembering her slain eldest son, Murugan. Set against the harsh backdrop of rural caste oppression, the song captures the agonizing grief of a mother who sees her lost child in every detail of their everyday farm life—from the banana leaves in the backyard to the cattle chewing quietly. Beyond sorrow, the song elevates the son to a heroic, almost mythic stature. He is celebrated as the fire, the pride of his people, and a protective deity (Karuppusamy) who stood up against tyranny. The lyrics blend heartbreak with righteous indignation, yearning for his return to lead and protect his family.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Upamai)

“Acharuntha raattinam pola suthuthaiyaa”

Compares the mother's disorienting, spinning grief to a giant wheel (raattinam) whose central axle has snapped.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

“Neruppu nee / Karuppu nee”

Directly equates the deceased son to fire (Neruppu) and to Karuppusamy (Karuppu), the fierce guardian deity of Tamil rural folk culture.

Alliteration (Monnai)

“Kallaaga ninnaaiyo / Kaal nooga ninnaaiyo”

Repetition of the 'Ka' sound at the beginning of consecutive lines to create a rhythmic, solemn mournfulness.

Rural Imagery (Thinai / Nature Imagery)

“Kollaiyila vaazha yela / Kottadiyil kozhi kunju”

Uses vivid domestic and pastoral imagery (banana leaves, chicks, wind, water ridges) to illustrate how deeply embedded the son was in everyday village life.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar with lyrics by Yugabharathi and sung by Saindhavi, 'Ellu Vaya Pookalaye' served as one of the emotional centerpieces of Vetrimaaran's critically acclaimed film Asuran (2019). Saindhavi's soul-stirring vocal performance won widespread acclaim from critics and audiences alike for conveying raw maternal grief.

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