- Lyricist
- M. K. Aathmanathan
- Singers
- T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela
- Music director
- R. Parthasarathy
- Movie name
- Avan Pithana
- Movie release year
- 1966
- Lyrics added on
- 26 Mar 2020
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This philosophical song presents a dialogue questioning the existence and nature of both God and humanity. Man questions where God resides, reflecting on how neither faith nor atheism reveals Him, nor does God intervene in human suffering. Conversely, God questions whether true humanity exists, highlighting human fickleness, societal inequality, injustice towards women, and moral hypocrisy where truth-tellers are branded as madmen. The song concludes that living in neglect of humanity strips one of divinity, emphasizing that true spiritual existence depends on human integrity and justice.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Antithesis (Muran)
“Naan aathiganaanen / Naan naathiganaanen”
Contrasting believer (aathigan) with atheist (naathigan) to highlight human spiritual confusion.
Paradox (Muranoi)
“Neero kodhikkudhadi / Neruppo kulirudhadi”
Uses paradoxical imagery (boiling water, cold fire, mirror showing black as white) to portray a morally inverted world.
Second Letter Rhyme (Etukai)
“Paarppavan kurudanadi / Padippavan moodanadi”
Repetition of the second consonant sound 'r' across lines ('Paarppavan', 'Padippavan').
Did you know?
Trivia
Avan Pithana (1966) features lyrics by the renowned Tamil songwriter M. K. Aathmanathan. The song uses a dramatic call-and-response format between humanity's doubt of God and God's doubt of human virtue.
Keep listening
Songs with a similar feeling
From the same album
More songs from Avan Pithana
View albumSpot an issue?
Help us improve the lyrics or English translation.