- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- P. B. Sreenivas
- Music director
- T. Chalapathi Rao
- Movie name
- Anbu Magan
- Movie release year
- 1961
- Lyrics added on
- 23 Apr 2024
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This poignant philosophical song expresses a deep existential longing for inner peace and emotional detachment. Kannadasan addresses his own heart and soul, questioning why it is so easy to love, give, and bond, yet so difficult to forget pain and move away from attachments. The song frames human life as a continuous journey that unfolds like a story, pointing out the irony of human nature: people search for peace everywhere in the external world—in bustling temples, devotion, rivers, and winds—failing to realize that genuine peace dwells only within one's own mind. In the final verse, vivid imagery of separation—a lute separated from its melody, and a lamp separated from its light—underscores the profound sense of dislocation and internal conflict experienced when desire and affection remain, but tranquility is lost.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Rhetorical Question
“Kodukkka therintha manamae unakku / Marakka theriyaadha”
The song opens with rhetorical questions posed to one's own heart and soul, highlighting emotional dilemma.
Simile (Upamai)
“Kadhaiyai pola thodarumae”
Compares the continuous journey of time and human life to the unfolding of a story ('Kadhaiyai pola').
Metaphor & Imagery
“Veenai ingae ..naadham angae / Deepam ingae jodhi angae”
Uses the separation of cause and essence (veena/music, lamp/light) as a powerful metaphor for spiritual and emotional disconnect.
Refrain / Anaphora
“Agilam yaarum sutri vandhaal / Amaidhi yai thaan kaanavillai”
The lines reiterating that peace cannot be found anywhere across the world are repeated after every stanza to emphasize the core theme.
Did you know?
Trivia
Written by the legendary poet Kannadasan and sung by P. B. Sreenivas for the 1961 film 'Anbu Magan', this track is widely regarded as one of Tamil cinema's classic 'thathuva paadalguri' (philosophical songs). Kannadasan was famous for writing such reflective, introspective verses that mirrored real-life emotional struggles, paired beautifully here with T. Chalapathi Rao's minimalist musical composition.
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