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Lyrics & meaning

Enthan Inbam Kollai

From Chakravarthi Thirumagal · 1957

Lyricist
Ku. Ma. Balasubramaniam
Singer
M. L. Vasanthakumari
Music director
G. Ramanathan
Details
Chakravarthi Thirumagal1957

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Sriraman meethile peraasai meeriyeOvercome with immense desire for Sri Rama,
Seethai pol soorppanagai urumaarinaalSoorpanakha transformed herself into the likeness of Sita.
Neraagave antha nilai kanda jaanakiSeeing this situation directly, Janaki (Sita)
Nenjam kalangiye thadumaarinaalWas troubled in her heart and faltered.
Female
Endhan inbam kollai kollaTo loot my happiness,
Vantha neeli yaaroWho is this deceitful woman that has come?
Enthan inbam kollai kollaTo loot my happiness,
Vantha neeli yaaroWho is this deceitful woman that has come?
Vanjanaiyaale valai veesiyeCasting a net through deceit,
Enthan inbam kollai kollaTo loot my happiness,
Vantha neeli yaaroWho is this deceitful woman that has come?
Female
Manam naadum maaranai manamaalai soodiHaving garlanded the Lord of Love whom my heart longed for,
Manam naadum maaranai manamaalai soodiHaving garlanded the Lord of Love whom my heart longed for,
Magizhvudan vaazhvil ondraaiTogether in life with joy,
Kaadhal geetham paadiSinging songs of love,
Magizhvudan vaazhvil ondraaiTogether in life with joy,
Kaadhal geetham paadiSinging songs of love,
Inbam pariponathaal yengi vaadureneHaving lost all my happiness, I am yearning and wilting.
Female
Endhan inbam kollai kollaTo loot my happiness,
Vantha neeli yaaroWho is this deceitful woman that has come?
Vanjanaiyaale valai veesiyeCasting a net through deceit,
Enthan inbam kollai kollaTo loot my happiness,
Vantha neeli yaaroWho is this deceitful woman that has come?
Female
Thaali katti kondavalaiThe one who was wedded with a sacred thread,
Thanimaiyile thavika vidum paathagi neeYou sinner, who leaves her to suffer in loneliness!
Pennaa peiyaa….Are you a woman or a demon?
Female
Sondhamaai en naathanodu uravaadal yenoWhy do you claim intimacy with my lord as if he were your own?
Sondhamaai en naathanodu uravaadal yenoWhy do you claim intimacy with my lord as if he were your own?
Endhan vaazhvai naasam seithu inbam kaanathaanoIs it to find pleasure in destroying my life?
Endhan vaazhvai naasam seithu inbam kaanathaanoIs it to find pleasure in destroying my life?
Unmaiyaana kaadhalin ullam vegalaamoShould the heart of true love burn like this?
Female
Endhan inbam kollai kollaTo loot my happiness,
Vantha neeli yaaroWho is this deceitful woman that has come?
Vanjanaiyaale valai veesiyeCasting a net through deceit,
Enthan inbam kollai kollaTo loot my happiness,
Vantha neeli yaaroWho is this deceitful woman that has come?
Vantha neeli yaaroWho is this deceitful woman that has come?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

The song opens with an epic allusion to the Ramayana, describing how Soorpanakha disguised herself as Sita out of overwhelming desire for Lord Rama, causing grief and confusion to Sita. Drawing a parallel to this legendary deceit, the protagonist laments the arrival of a manipulative rival woman ('neeli') who has cast a web of trickery to steal away her marital bliss and peace. She painfully recalls the joy of marrying the man of her dreams and sharing a life filled with love songs and happiness, which has now been reduced to loneliness and despair. She confronts the deceitful intruder, questioning whether she is a human or a demon for driving a wedge into a sacred marriage, and pouring out the grief of a true heart suffering unmerited betrayal.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Uvamai Ani (Simile)

Seethai pol soorppanagai urumaarinaal

Compares Soorpanakha's shape-shifting transformation directly to the appearance of Sita using the comparison word 'pol' (like).

Metaphor / Uruvagakani

Vantha neeli yaaro

Uses 'Neeli'—a legendary deceitful sorceress/demoness in Tamil folklore—as a metaphor for the rival woman who ruins marital happiness.

Ethugai (Second Letter Rhyme)

Sriraman meethile / Seethai pol...

The second consonant sound ('raa' / 'tha' in classical meter, or 'ndhan' / 'njan' in 'Endhan' / 'Vanjanaiyaale') creates rhythmic flow across lines.

Monai (First Letter Alliteration)

Vanjanaiyaale valai veesiye

The repetition of the 'Va' sound ('Vanjanaiyaale', 'valai', 'veesiye') provides poetic harmony within the line.

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Trivia

Chakravarthi Thirumagal (1957) is a classic Tamil fantasy-swashbuckler film starring M. G. Ramachandran (MGR) and Anjali Devi. The soundtrack was composed by legendary maestro G. Ramanathan, and this song features the pristine classical vocals of Carnatic legend M.L. Vasanthakumari (MLV). The lyrics, penned by Ku. Ma. Balasubramaniam, ingeniously use the Ramayana motif of Soorpanakha's deception to mirror the protagonist's narrative conflict.

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