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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Ettadukku Maligaiyil

From Aadi Viradham · 1991

Lyricist
Vaali
Singers
M. S. Rajeswari, K. S. Chitra
Music director
Shankar Ganesh
Movie name
Aadi Viradham
Movie release year
1991
Lyrics added on
24 Mar 2026

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Ettadukku maligaiyil
Vattamidum vannakkili
Pathadi kutchikullae
Paattu ketka vandha kili
Ettadukku maligaiyil
Vattamidum vannakkili
Pathadi kutchikullae
Paattu ketka vandha kili
Rekkai rendu molachadhaale
Ungakitta ulladhu engittae vandhadhadi
Sarigama papadhamama padhnisadhniga
Dhanisamama padhanigaga gamapa dhanisani
Nisaasa nisaa dhanidhadhanidha padhanisani dhama
Madhagama gamasaga sarigamadhanisa madhama sarigasaa
Ettadukku maligaiyil
Vattamidum vannakkili
Pathadi kutchikullae
Paattu ketka vandha kili
Rekkai rendu molachadhaale
Ungakitta ulladhu engittae vandhadhadi
Ettadukku maligaiyil
Vattamidum vannakkili
Pathadi kutchikullae
Paattu ketka vandha kili
Minsaara vilakka pola
Nilavai anaikka mudiyuma
Thanneeril muzhuginaalum
Thalaiyin eluthu azhiyuma
En paattil irukkum karuthu
Ellorkkum therindha kadhaithaan
Un veettil valarum kuruthu
Ammaadi enadhu vidhaithaan
Edathai nee maathina thodarum
Nizhalai thadukka mudiyuma
Ettadukku maligaiyil
Vattamidum vannakkili
Pathadi kutchikullae
Paattu ketka vandha kili
Rekkai rendu molachadhaale
Vaasalai thaandave
Naalondru parkkuthadi
Annaadam pudhusu pola
Maatruven sattathaan
Ennaalum pudicha soru
Karandha paalu muttathaan
Engaeyum nelinju nelinju
Villaattum valainju valainju
Eppodhum thavazhndhu iruppen
Thottaakka padamum eduppen
Maaligai pudikalaமாளிகை புடிக்கல
Enakku venum mannu veedu thaan
Sarigama papadhamama padhnisadhniga
Dhanisamama padhanigaga gamapa dhanisani
Nisaasa nisaa dhanidhadhanidha padhanisani dhama
Madhagama gamasaga sarigamadhanisa madhama sarigasaa
Ettadukku maligaiyil
Vattamidum vannakkili
Pathadi kutchikullae
Paattu ketka vandha kili
Rekkai rendu molachadhaale
Ungakitta ulladhu engittae vandhadhadi
Ettadukku maligaiyil
Vattamidum vannakkili
Pathadi kutchikullae
Paattu ketka vandha kili
In an eight-story mansion,
A colourful parrot circled around,
Into a ten-foot hut,
That parrot has come to hear a song!
In an eight-story mansion,
A colourful parrot circled around,
Into a ten-foot hut,
That parrot has come to hear a song!
Now that it has grown two wings,
What was yours has come over to me!
Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Pa Dha Ma Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa Dha Ni Ga
Dha Ni Sa Ma Ma Pa Dha Ni Ga Ga Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa Ni
Ni Saa Sa Ni Saa Dha Ni Dha Dha Ni Dha Pa Dha Ni Sa Ni Dha Ma
Ma Dha Ga Ma Ga Ma Sa Ga Sa Ri Ga Ma Dha Ni Sa Ma Dha Ma Sa Ri Ga Saa
In an eight-story mansion,
A colourful parrot circled around,
Into a ten-foot hut,
That parrot has come to hear a song!
Now that it has grown two wings,
What was yours has come over to me!
In an eight-story mansion,
A colourful parrot circled around,
Into a ten-foot hut,
That parrot has come to hear a song!
Like an electric lamp,
Can anyone switch off the moon?
Even if you plunge deep in water,
Can the destiny written on your forehead be erased?
The meaning resting in my song
Is a story that everyone knows!
The tender sprout growing in your home,
Oh dear, is truly born from my seed!
Even if you change places,
Can you ever block the shadow that follows?
In an eight-story mansion,
A colourful parrot circled around,
Into a ten-foot hut,
That parrot has come to hear a song!
Now that it has grown two wings,
To step across the threshold,
It is waiting for the right day!
Every day, fresh as new,
I will shed my skin!
The food I love every single day
Is freshly milked milk and eggs!
Wriggling and winding everywhere,
Bending and curving like a bow,
I will always crawl about,
And spread my hood if touched!
I do not like a mansion,
All I want is a house of earth!
Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Pa Dha Ma Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa Dha Ni Ga
Dha Ni Sa Ma Ma Pa Dha Ni Ga Ga Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa Ni
Ni Saa Sa Ni Saa Dha Ni Dha Dha Ni Dha Pa Dha Ni Sa Ni Dha Ma
Ma Dha Ga Ma Ga Ma Sa Ga Sa Ri Ga Ma Dha Ni Sa Ma Dha Ma Sa Ri Ga Saa
In an eight-story mansion,
A colourful parrot circled around,
Into a ten-foot hut,
That parrot has come to hear a song!
Now that it has grown two wings,
What was yours has come over to me!
In an eight-story mansion,
A colourful parrot circled around,
Into a ten-foot hut,
That parrot has come to hear a song!
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song from 'Aadi Viradham' explores themes of destiny, lineage, and natural identity through vivid allegories. The narrative contrasts an eight-storied mansion with a humble ten-foot hut, describing how a child (symbolized as a 'colorful parrot' or 'tender sapling') instinctively seeks out its true biological roots despite being raised in luxury. Using metaphors of an inescapable shadow, unerasable fate written on the forehead, and the impossibility of 'switching off' the moon like a lamp, the lyrics assert that truth and bloodline cannot be concealed by wealth or distance. As the song progresses, it shifts into serpent-themed imagery—slithering, bending like a bow, rejecting grand mansions in favor of a mud house, and threatening to raise a hood if provoked. This aligns with the devotional and snake-deity elements of the movie, emphasizing a fierce spirit that rejects artificial luxury in favor of authentic, grounded, and divine nature.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

“Vattamidum vannakkili”

Compares a child to a 'colorful parrot' circling around.

Simile (Upamai)

“Minsaara vilakka pola / Nilavai anaikka mudiyuma”

Compares turning off the moon to turning off an electric bulb to illustrate the impossibility of defying nature or fate.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

“Un veettil valarum kuruthu / Ammaadi enadhu vidhaithaan”

Refers to a child growing in a home as a 'tender sapling' (kuruthu) sprouted from the father's 'seed' (vidhai).

Ethugai (Second-letter Assonance)

“Ettadukku maligaiyil / Pathadi kutchikullae”

The second letter 't' (ட்) rhymes between 'Ettadukku' and 'Pathadi'.

Iyaipu (End Rhyme)

“Vattamidum vannakkili / Paattu ketka vandha kili”

The lines end with the rhyming word 'kili'.

Rhetorical Question

“Nizhalai thadukka mudiyuma”

Asks 'Can anyone block a shadow?' to emphasize that truth and destiny inevitably follow a person.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Aadi Viradham' (1991) is a Tamil devotional film directed by Rama Narayanan, a director famed for incorporating trained animals, divine manifestations, and snake folklore into commercial cinema. The song features vocals by M.S. Rajeswari, legendary for her iconic high-pitched child-like singing voice in Tamil cinema, alongside K.S. Chithra. Composed by the duo Shankar-Ganesh with lyrics by Vaali, the track effectively blends classical carnatic solfa passages (swaras) with folk-devotional melodies.

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