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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Ganga Yamuna Sarsawathi

From Deiveega Raagangal · 1980

Lyricist
Pulamaipithan
Singer
Vani Jairam
Music director
M. S. Vishwanathan
Details
Deiveega Raagangal1980

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Ganga yamuna saraswathiGanga, Yamuna, Saraswathi,
Ganga yamuna saraswathiGanga, Yamuna, Saraswathi,
Neengal kulitha moondru nadhiThe three sacred rivers in which you bathed,
Kadalinil vizhu munn punidhathai izhanthathuLost their purity before falling into the sea,
Kaaranam ungal thaeya madhiThe reason is your declining, corrupt wisdom.
Kadalinil vizhu munn punidhathai izhanthathuLost their purity before falling into the sea,
Kaaranam ungal thaeya madhiThe reason is your declining, corrupt wisdom.
Female
Ganga yamuna saraswathiGanga, Yamuna, Saraswathi,
Neengal kulitha moondru nadhiThe three sacred rivers in which you bathed,
Female
Aayiram kavidhaigal paadiSinging a thousand poetic verses,
En angangalil vilayaadiPlaying with the beauty of my body,
Aayiram kavidhaigal paadiSinging a thousand poetic verses,
En angangalil vilayaadiPlaying with the beauty of my body,
Theigindra pirai ena maathiMaking me wither away like a waning moon,
Karpu theeyinai anaithaai neer oottriYou extinguished the sacred fire of chastity by pouring water over it.
Female
Illaram enbathu nallaram endruivalBelieving that domestic life is a noble virtue,
Enni irundhathu kanniya mattradhuThis woman thought so, but you stripped away her maidenhood.
Enndraaiyae en mannavaHow could you do this, my lord?
Innoru pennidam aasai valarthavanYou harbored desire for another woman,
Nallavan pol oru nadagam ittavanAnd staged a grand drama pretending to be a good man.
En vaazhvil nee allavaaAren't you that very deceitful person in my life?
En vaazhvil nee allavaaAren't you that very deceitful person in my life?
Female
Ganga yamuna saraswathiGanga, Yamuna, Saraswathi,
Neengal kulitha moondru nadhiThe three sacred rivers in which you bathed,
Kadalinil vizhu munn punidhathai izhanthathuLost their purity before falling into the sea,
Kaaranam ungal thaeya madhiThe reason is your declining, corrupt wisdom.
Female
Thaamarai poovinai naadiSeeking the lotus flower,
Sonna sathiya vaarthaigal kodiYou made millions of solemn promises.
Thaamarai poovinai naadiSeeking the lotus flower,
Sonna sathiya vaarthaigal kodiYou made millions of solemn promises.
Kaamanai poluravaadiMaking love like Kamadeva, the god of love,
Indru kalangaveithaaye vaadiToday you have left me wilted in sorrow.
Female
Rambhai thilothamai oorvasi endrennaiComparing me to divine nymphs like Rambha, Tilottama, and Urvashi,
Nambavum veithanai nandri ilandhanaiYou made me believe you, yet you proved utterly ungrateful.
En vaazhvil sogam mandroIs sorrow all that remains in my life now?
Nalla kulathinil vandhu pirandhavalShe who was born into a noble family,
Unnai ninathaval thannai marandhavalShe who held you in her thoughts and forgot herself,
Deiveega raagam androIsn't she a divine melody?
Deiveega raagam androIsn't she a divine melody?
Female
Ganga yamuna saraswathiGanga, Yamuna, Saraswathi,
Neengal kulitha moondru nadhiThe three sacred rivers in which you bathed,
Kadalinil vizhu munn punidhathai izhanthathuLost their purity before falling into the sea,
Kaaranam ungal thaeya madhiThe reason is your declining, corrupt wisdom.
Female
Aalizhai meghalai paattuListening to the melody of banyan leaves and waist ornaments,
Naan aanandham adhaindhen kettuI experienced pure bliss hearing it.
Aalizhai meghalai paattuListening to the melody of banyan leaves and waist ornaments,
Naan aanandham adhaindhen kettuI experienced pure bliss hearing it.
Kaalathil arundhiya virunthuA lavish feast enjoyed in due time,
Pin kasandhathu or sugam maranthuLater turned bitter, forgetting all joy.
Female
Sorgam irupadhai kandu pidithidaTo help me discover the existence of heaven,
Pakkam irundhu oru paadam uraithanaiYou sat beside me and taught me a lesson.
Appodhu arivu illaiyaeI lacked wisdom back then!
Thantha sugathinai nenju ninaithathuMy heart remembered the pleasure you gave,
Vandha idathinil kandu pidithathuAnd traced it back to where it all began,
Ippodhum vida villaiyaeEven now, it refuses to let go!
Female
Ganga yamuna saraswathiGanga, Yamuna, Saraswathi,
Neengal kulitha moondru nadhiThe three sacred rivers in which you bathed,
Kadalinil vizhu munn punidhathai izhanthathuLost their purity before falling into the sea,
Kaaranam ungal thaeya madhiThe reason is your declining, corrupt wisdom.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song expresses the deep pain, betrayal, and anguish of a woman whose innocence and chastity were taken by a deceitful lover. The protagonist reflects on how her lover wooed her with grand promises, poetic flatteries, and passion, only to betray her for another woman. She metaphorically states that his moral corruption is so severe that even the holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswathi lost their sacredness after he bathed in them. Throughout the song, she struggles between the lingering memories of past intimacy and the bitter reality of her present heartbreak. She laments how a virtuous woman from a good family surrendered her soul to him, only to be left in sorrow. Written by Pulamaipithan, the song combines rich mythological imagery with intense emotional drama to portray the anguish of broken trust.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Hyperbole & Sacred Metaphor

Ganga yamuna saraswathi / Kadalinil vizhu munn punidhathai izhanthathu

Exaggerates the scale of the lover's moral corruption by claiming that even the holiest rivers lost their sanctity upon touching him.

Simile (Upamai)

Theigindra pirai ena maathi

Compares the emotional and physical decline of the woman to the gradually diminishing size of a waning moon (pirai).

Allusion (Ainthinai / Mythological references)

Rambhai thilothamai oorvasi endrennai

Refers to celestial apsaras (Rambha, Tilottama, Urvashi) to highlight the flattering false promises the lover used to deceive her.

Rhyme (Ethugai)

Rambhai thilothamai oorvasi endrennai / Nambavum veithanai nandri ilandhanai

The second letter sound ('m' in Rambhai and Nambavum) rhymes across consecutive lines.

Did you know?

Trivia

Written by the eminent poet and Tamil scholar Pulamaipithan for the 1980 film 'Deiveega Raagangal'. The title of the movie is skillfully incorporated into the lyrics ('Deiveega raagam andro'), which is a classic signature style of Tamil lyricists during that era.

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