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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Illadhathondrillai

From Thiruvilaiyadal · 1965

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
T. R. Mahalingam
Music director
K. V. Mahadevan
Details
Thiruvilaiyadal1965

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Illaadhadhondrillai…eeee….eee….There is nothing that does not exist...
Ellaamum nee endru…That you are everything...
Sollaamal solli vaiththaai…aaaa…aaa..You conveyed silently without speaking...
Aaaaa…aaaa….aaa….aaa…aa…aaa…aa…[Vocalizations]
Illaadhadhondrillai…There is nothing that does not exist...
Ellaamum nee endru…That you are everything...
Sollaamal solli vaiththaai…You conveyed silently without speaking...
Male
Pullaagi… poondaagi…As grass, as a plant...
Puzhuvaagi… maramaagi…As a worm, as a tree...
Puviyaagi… vaazha vaiththaai…As the earth, you made us live...
Aaaaa…aaaa….aaa….aaa…aa…aaa…aa…[Vocalizations]
Male
Sollaalum… manadhaalum…Through words, through the mind...
Sudar kondu thozhuvorai…eee…ee..Those who worship holding a sacred light...
Aaaaa…aaaa….aaa….nanaa…[Vocalizations]
Sollaalum… manadhaalum…Through words, through the mind...
Sudar kondu thozhuvorai…Those who worship holding a sacred light...
Menmelum uyara vaiththaai…aaa….aa..You raised them higher and higher...
Male
Kallaana uruvamum…mmm….mm…A stone-like form...
Kanivaana ullamum…A compassionate heart...
Vadivaana chathurvaedhanae…Oh beautiful embodiment of the four Vedas...
Aaaaa..h.aaaa….aaa…haaa…aa…aaa…aa…[Vocalizations]
Vadivaana chathurvaedhanae…Oh beautiful embodiment of the four Vedas...
Male
Karunai pozhi madhuraiyil…In Madurai where mercy rains down...
Thamizh ulagam vaazhavae…So that the Tamil world flourishes...
Kann konda siva naadhanae…Oh Lord Shiva who possesses eyes...
Aaaaa…aaaa….aaa….aaa…aa…[Vocalizations]
Kann konda siva naadhanae..ae…ae….Oh Lord Shiva who possesses eyes...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This devotional hymn from the movie Thiruvilaiyadal praises Lord Shiva as the ultimate omnipresent reality that encompasses all of creation. It describes how Shiva silently reveals His presence through all life forms—grass, plants, worms, trees, and the earth itself—echoing classical Saivite philosophy on the evolution of souls.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Paradox / Oxymoron

Sollaamal solli vaiththaai…

Sollaamal solli vaiththaai (Saying without speaking) creates a poetic paradox describing how divine truth is revealed through silent omnipresence.

Contrast

Kallaana uruvamum… Kanivaana ullamum…

Contrasts the hard external stone idol (Kallaana uruvamum) with the deity's tender, compassionate internal nature (Kanivaana ullamum).

Allusion / Intertextuality

Pullaagi… poondaagi… Puzhuvaagi… maramaagi…

Directly alludes to Manikkavasagar's Thiruvasingam ('Pullaagi poondaagi puzhuvaagi maramaagi') describing the cycle of soul evolution through various life forms.

Monai (Initial Alliteration)

Pullaagi… poondaagi… Puzhuvaagi… maramaagi… Puviyaagi…

Repetition of the initial 'P' sound across lines (Pullaagi, Puzhuvaagi, Puviyaagi) creating rhythmic harmony.

Did you know?

Trivia

The lyrics composed by Kannadasan pay tribute to Saint Manikkavasagar's 9th-century masterpiece 'Thiruvasagam' (specifically Sivapuranam). Although credited as unknown in some song metadata, the song was composed by K. V. Mahadevan and rendered powerfully by singer-actor T. R. Mahalingam for the 1965 classic film Thiruvilaiyadal.

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