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Lyrics & meaning

Kadavul Manithanaga

From Vanambadi · 1963

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
T. M. Soundararajan
Music director
K. V. Mahadevan
Details
Vanambadi1963

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Kadavul manithanaagaGod should be born
PirakkavendumAs a human being.
Avan kaadhalithuHe must fall in love
Vedhanaiyil vaadavendumAnd wither in agony.
Pirivennum kadalinilaeIn the ocean of separation,
Moozhga vendumHe must drown.
Avan penn endraalHe must realize
Ennavendru unaravendumWhat a woman truly is.
Male
Kadavul manithanaagaGod should be born
PirakkavendumAs a human being.
Avan kaadhalithuHe must fall in love
Vedhanaiyil vaadavendumAnd wither in agony.
Pirivennum kadalinilaeIn the ocean of separation,
Moozhga vendumHe must drown.
Avan penn endraalHe must realize
Ennavendru unaravendumWhat a woman truly is.
Male
Kadavul manithanaagaGod should be born
PirakkavendumAs a human being.
Male
Eththanai penn padaithaanHow many women did He create!
Ellorkkum kan padaithaanFor everyone, He created eyes.
aththanai kangalilumIn all those eyes,
Aasaiyennum visham koduthaanHe gave the poison called desire.
Male
Athai oorengumHe scattered it
ThoovivittaanAll over the town,
Ullathilae poosivittaanAnd smeared it inside the hearts.
Oonjalai aadavittuSetting the swing in motion,
Uyarithilae thangivittaanHe stayed up high watching.
Male
Kadavul manithanaagaGod should be born
PirakkavendumAs a human being.
Male
Avanai azhaithu vandhuBringing Him here,
Aasaiyil midhakkavittuMaking Him float in desire,
Aadadaa aadu endruSaying 'Dance, dance!',
Aadavaithu paarthiruppenI would make Him dance and watch.
Male
Paduvaan thudithiduvaanHe will suffer and throb in anguish,
Pattathae pothumenbaanHe will cry 'Enough of what I suffered!'
Paavi avan penn kulathaiThat sinner would then stop
Padaikkaamal niruthi vaippaanCreating womankind altogether!
Male
Kadavul manithanaagaGod should be born
PirakkavendumAs a human being.
Avan kaadhalithuHe must fall in love
Vedhanaiyil vaadavendumAnd wither in agony.
Pirivennum kadalinilaeIn the ocean of separation,
Moozhga vendumHe must drown.
Avan penn endraalHe must realize
Ennavendru unaravendumWhat a woman truly is.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

The song 'Kadavul Manithanaaga Pirakkavendum' from the movie Vanambadi (1963) expresses intense anguish and philosophical questioning of divine design. The singer demands that God be born as a mortal human to experience first-hand the torment of love, desire, and heartbreak. By drowning in the vast ocean of separation, God would finally comprehend the agony that women and desire inflict upon men.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamai / Rupaka)

Pirivennum kadalinilae

Compares separation to a deep, inescapable ocean where one drowns in pain.

Metaphor

Aasaiyennum visham koduthaan

Compares desire/attachment to a deadly poison introduced into human eyes.

Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)

Eththanai penn padaithaan / Ellorkkum kan padaithaan

Repetition of initial vowels ('E' / 'a') across lines for rhythmic aesthetic.

Personification & Dramatic Irony

Aadadaa aadu endru / Aadavaithu paarthiruppen

Inverts the creator-creation hierarchy by demanding that God be made to dance like a puppet under human observation.

Did you know?

Trivia

Written by poet Kannadasan with music composed by K. V. Mahadevan for Vanambadi (1963), this song is famous for its bold philosophical challenge to God, rendered powerfully in a villainous or tragic club-song style.

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