Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Irudhayam Kalla Thaiyai

From Jagathalaprathaban – 1961 Film · 1961

Lyricist
Panchu Arunachalam
Singer
P. Leela
Music director
Pendyala Nageswara Rao
Details
Jagathalaprathaban – 1961 Film1961

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Irudhayam kalla thaiyai varavillaiyooHas your heart turned to stone, Mother, that you have not come?
Magal nambhiyadhu thunai maadhaYour daughter trusted you as her only support, Mother.
Ini saranamum neeyae maadhaFrom now on, you alone are my sanctuary, Mother.
Irudhayam kalla thaiyai varavillaiyooHas your heart turned to stone, Mother, that you have not come?
Female
Abasagunam palithidumaWill the ill omen come true?
Soozhndhae aabathai paaraiyooLook at the danger that surrounds us!
Innum sollidavooShould I explain even more?
Endrum sodhanaiyooIs life to be an endless trial?
En thanaiyanai paarpadhum neeyaeYou are the one who watches over my son.
Female
Irudhayam kalla thaiyai varavillaiyooHas your heart turned to stone, Mother, that you have not come?
Magal nambhiyadhu thunai maadhaYour daughter trusted you as her only support, Mother.
Ini saranamum neeyae maadhaFrom now on, you alone are my sanctuary, Mother.
Irudhayam kalla thaiyai varavillaiyooHas your heart turned to stone, Mother, that you have not come?
Female
Aasai dheebamum anaindhu pogumoWill the lamp of my hopes be extinguished?
Seidhidum poojaiyin balamenakillaiyaaIs there no fruit for the prayers I offer?
Nee varavillaiyael ratchagar yaaroIf you do not come, who else is my savior?
Kathida vaaraai oo maadhaOh Mother, come to protect us!

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Irudhayam Kalla is a deeply emotional devotional prayer from the 1961 Tamil film Jagathalaprathaban. Sung with immense pathos by P. Leela, the song captures the desperate cry of a distressed mother seeking divine intervention from the Goddess. Surrounded by impending danger and threatened by bad omens, she questions whether the divine mother's heart has turned to stone, as her prayers seem unanswered. Throughout the song, the protagonist surrenders completely to the Goddess, asking if her lamp of hope will go out and who else will save her child if not the Mother herself. The song highlights themes of absolute faith, maternal anxiety, and divine refuge.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Rhetorical Question (Vinaa)

Irudhayam kalla thaiyai varavillaiyoo

Multiple lines ask rhetorical questions to convey grief, helplessness, and urgency.

Metaphor (Uruvagamm)

Aasai dheebamum anaindhu pogumo

Hopes and desires are metaphorically referred to as a burning lamp ('Aasai dheebam').

Refrain / Repetition

Irudhayam kalla thaiyai varavillaiyoo

The chorus line asking if the Mother's heart has turned to stone is repeated to emphasize emotional distress.

Monorhyme / Edhukai

Innum sollidavoo / Endrum sodhanaiyoo

Rhythmic pairing and second-letter matching between 'Innum' and 'Endrum'.

Did you know?

Trivia

This track showcases P. Leela's mastery over devotional and emotional expressions in Tamil cinema. The film's music was composed by Telugu maestro Pendyala Nageswara Rao, blending classical Carnatic nuances into mythological narrative cinema.

Keep listening

More from Jagathalaprathaban – 1961 Film