- Lyricist
- Kudavayil Keerathanar
- Singers
- Keerthana Vaidyanathan, Niranjana Ramanan, Vaish
- Music director
- A. R. Rahman
- Movie name
- Ponniyin Selvan – Part 2
- Movie release year
- 2023
- Lyrics added on
- 4 Apr 2023
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song is an adaptation of Purananuru verse 242, an ancient Tamil Sangam poem lamenting the death of the brave warrior Vel Sathan. The central emotion is deep grief and existential despair, where the mourning community feels that beauty and celebrations have lost all meaning following their leader's demise. The imagery contrasts nature's timeless cycle with human tragedy: the mullai (jasmine) flower continues to bloom, yet no one in Olaiyur land wishes to pluck or wear it. Young men abstain from adorning it, women wearing bangles refuse to pick it, and bards leave it untouched, illustrating a landscape united in solemn mourning.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Apostrophe
“முல்லையும் பூத்தியோ / ஒல்லையூர் நாட்டே”
The speaker directly addresses the inanimate mullai flower, questioning why it still blooms when the hero Vel Sathan is dead.
Parallelism
“இளையோர் சூடார் / வளையோர் கொய்யார்”
Syntactic repetition ('இளையோர் சூடார் / வளையோர் கொய்யார்') creates a rhythmic cadence emphasizing widespread refusal to engage in worldly beauty.
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Trivia
The song lyrics are directly sourced from verse 242 of Purananuru, an ancient classical Tamil Sangam anthology composed by the poet Kudavayil Keerathanar.
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