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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Geethai Solla Kannan

From Garuda Saukiyama · 1982

Lyricist
Aalangudi Somu
Singer
T. M. Soundararajan
Music director
M. S. Vishwanathan
Details
Garuda Saukiyama1982

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Geethai solla kannan vanthaan bharathathilaeKrishna came into the Mahabharata to preach the Gita,
Geethai solla kannan vanthaan bharathathilaeKrishna came into the Mahabharata to preach the Gita,
Kadamai solla raman vanthaan kaaviyaththilaeRama came into the epic Ramayana to teach duty,
Enna solla nee piranthaai intha veettilaeTo convey what purpose were you born into this house?
Eduththu solladaa raja ennidaththilaeTell me clearly, my dear child!
Male
Geethai solla kannan vanthaan bharathathilaeKrishna came into the Mahabharata to preach the Gita,
Male
Dheivamillaa aalayaththil vilakkai yaettrinaenI lit a lamp in a temple that had no deity,
Ingu thaerillaamal vadam pidikka oorai koottinaenI gathered the town to pull the rope of a chariot where no chariot existed,
Dheivamillaa aalayaththil vilakkai yaettrinaenI lit a lamp in a temple that had no deity,
Ingu thaerillaamal vadam pidikka oorai koottinaenI gathered the town to pull the rope of a chariot where no chariot existed,
Male
Nandriyillaa manitharidam anbai naadinaenI sought love from ungrateful human beings,
Adhu nanju endru therinthapothu nenjam vaadinaenWhen I realized it was poison, my heart withered,
Idhai solla vanthaayo ennai vella vanthaayoDid you come to tell me this, or did you come to conquer me?
Male
Geethai solla kannan vanthaan bharathathilaeKrishna came into the Mahabharata to preach the Gita,
Male
En pirappil eppadiyo karai padinthathuSomehow, a stain fell upon my birth,
Palar yaelanamaai siriththapothu manam odinthathuWhen many mocked and laughed at me, my spirit broke,
Vanmuraigal seithidavae thunichchal vanthathuThe courage to commit acts of violence arose in me,
Antha varalaattrai kadantha kaalam ezhugindrathuNow, that past history rises up from time,
Idhai solla vanthaayo ennai vella vanthaayoDid you come to tell me this, or did you come to conquer me?
Male
Geethai solla kannan vanthaan bharathathilaeKrishna came into the Mahabharata to preach the Gita,
Kadamai solla raman vanthaan kaaviyaththilaeRama came into the epic Ramayana to teach duty,
Enna solla nee piranthaai intha veettilaeTo convey what purpose were you born into this house?
Eduththu solladaa raja ennidaththilaeTell me clearly, my dear child!
Male
Vedikkaiyaai ulagaththai nee paarkka vanthaayoDid you come merely to observe the spectacle of this world?
Entha venduthalai niraivettra virainthu vanthaayoOr did you hasten to fulfill a solemn vow?
Vedikkaiyaai ulagaththai nee paarkka vanthaayoDid you come merely to observe the spectacle of this world?
Entha venduthalai niraivettra virainthu vanthaayoOr did you hasten to fulfill a solemn vow?
Male
Un kathaiyai solvatharkku odi vanthaayoDid you run here to tell your own story,
Ingu en kathaiyai ketta pinbu adhai maranthaayoOr did you forget it after listening to my story here?
Enna solla vanthaayo ennai vella vanthaayoWhat did you come to tell me, or did you come to conquer me?
Male
Geethai solla kannan vanthaan bharathathilaeKrishna came into the Mahabharata to preach the Gita,
Kadamai solla raman vanthaan kaaviyaththilaeRama came into the epic Ramayana to teach duty,
Enna solla nee piranthaai intha veettilaeTo convey what purpose were you born into this house?
Eduththu solladaa raja ennidaththilaeTell me clearly, my dear child!
Male
Geethai solla kannan vanthaan bharathathilae….Krishna came into the Mahabharata to preach the Gita...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

The song is a philosophical and emotional address delivered by a protagonist reflecting on life's hardships, morality, and destiny while speaking to a child. Drawing parallels with epic figures—Krishna who came to deliver the Bhagavad Gita in the Mahabharata and Rama who embodied duty in the Ramayana—the singer questions the purpose of the child's arrival into a world full of pain and betrayal. The speaker pours out personal agony: how trusting ungrateful people felt like poison, how public ridicule drove them toward violence, and how their past continues to haunt them. Ultimately, the song poses poignant existential questions: Did the child come to observe life's spectacle, fulfill a divine promise, share their own tale, or heal the speaker's wounded soul? Through M. S. Viswanathan's soulful composition and T. M. Soundararajan's deeply resonant vocals, the track bridges mythological archetypes with human anguish and hope.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)

Geethai solla kannan vanthaan bharathathilae / Kadamai solla raman vanthaan kaaviyaththilae

Matching starting sound patterns ('Geethai' / 'Kadamai' and 'solla' in both lines) creates rhythmic symmetry across lines.

Ethugai (Second Letter Rhyme)

Dheivamillaa aalayaththil vilakkai yaettrinaen / Ingu thaerillaamal vadam pidikka oorai koottinaen

The second letter harmony in 'Dhei-va' and 'Thae-ri' provides structural poetic flow in Tamil prosody.

Metaphor (Uruvagaim)

Dheivamillaa aalayaththil vilakkai yaettrinaen

Lighting a lamp in a deity-less temple serves as a metaphor for performing futile acts of devotion or place trust where no truth exists.

Anaphora / Rhetorical Questioning

Idhai solla vanthaayo ennai vella vanthaayo

Repeated questioning ('vanthaayo') emphasizes the protagonist's inner conflict and search for meaning.

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Trivia

'Garuda Saukiyama' (1982) is a Tamil film starring Sivaji Ganesan. The soundtrack was composed by M. S. Viswanathan with lyrics by Aalangudi Somu. The legendary singer T. M. Soundararajan (TMS) performed this song, continuing his iconic decades-long collaboration as the definitive playback voice for Sivaji Ganesan.

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