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Lyrics & meaning

Kadhalikkadhey

From Dheiva Thaai · 1964

Lyricist
Vaali
Singers
P. Susheela, Chorus
Music director
Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
Details
Dheiva Thaai1964

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Kaadhalikkaadhae kavalai padaathaeDo not fall in love, do not worry.
Aasai vaikkaadhae avadhi padaathaeDo not nurture desire, do not endure distress.
Chorus :Kaadhalikkaadhae kavalai padaathaeChorus: Do not fall in love, do not worry.
Aasai vaikkaadhae avadhi padaathaeDo not nurture desire, do not endure distress.
Female
Mangaiyar ellaam malligai thottamAll young women are a garden of jasmine flowers.
Mangaiyar ellaam malligai thottamAll young women are a garden of jasmine flowers.
Mattravar ellaam vandugal koottamAnd all the others are merely a swarm of bees.
Chorus
Kaadhalikkaadhae kavalai padaathaeDo not fall in love, do not worry.
Aasai vaikkaadhae avadhi padaathaeDo not nurture desire, do not endure distress.
Female
Andha naalil alli raani kaadhalithaalaaIn those ancient days, did Queen Alli ever fall in love?
Chorus :Illai illai illaiChorus: No, no, no!
Female :Aan azhagai kandu manam paedhalithaalaFemale: Did her heart lose its composure upon seeing a man's beauty?
Chorus :Illai illai illaiChorus: No, no, no!
Female
Andha naalil alli raani kaadhalithaalaaIn those ancient days, did Queen Alli ever fall in love?
Chorus :Illai illai illaiChorus: No, no, no!
Female :Aan azhagai kandu manam paedhalithaalaFemale: Did her heart lose its composure upon seeing a man's beauty?
Chorus :Illai illai illaiChorus: No, no, no!
Female
Thingalaiyo thendralaiyo thoodhu vittaalaDid she ever send messages through the moon or the breeze?
Aval pennai thavira yaaraiyumae paesavittaala..hoiDid she ever let anyone speak to her, except for women?
Chorus :HummingChorus: (Humming)
Chorus
Kaadhalikkaadhae kavalai padaathaeDo not fall in love, do not worry.
Aasai vaikkaadhae avadhi padaathaeDo not nurture desire, do not endure distress.
Female
Maan vizhiyaalThe deer-eyed damsel,
Shakunthalai mannanai kandaalShakuntala, met the king.
Chorus :Paavam paavam paavamChorus: What a pity, pity, pity!
Female :Thaen mozhiyaal avanFemale: With honeyed words, she
Kodutha modhiram kondaalAccepted the ring he gave her.
Chorus :Paavam paavam paavamChorus: What a pity, pity, pity!
Female
Ethanaiyo ennangalai eduthu vandhaalaeShe brought along so many thoughts and hopes,
Mannan idhaya vaasal kadhavai moodi thaduthu vittaanaeYet the king shut the entrance door to his heart and blocked her out.
Chorus
Humming(Humming)
Chorus
Kaadhalithaalae kavalai pattaalaeBecause she loved, she suffered in grief.
Aasai vaithaalae avadhi pattaalaeBecause she held desires, she endured distress.
Female
Aadavarin naadagathilae aayiram kaatchiIn men's theatrical drama, there are a thousand acts.
Chorus :Kaatchi katchi kaatchiChorus: Acts, acts, acts!
Female :Aadugindra aattathukku aandavan saatchiFemale: To the dance they perform, God is the sole witness.
Chorus :Saatchi saatchi saatchiChorus: Witness, witness, witness!
Female
Kenjiduvaar konjiduvaar irakka padaathaeThey will beg and flatter, but do not take pity on them.
Un idhayathilae evarukkumae idam kodukkaadhaeDo not grant space in your heart to anyone.
Chorus :HummingChorus: (Humming)
Chorus
Kaadhalikkaadhae kavalai padaathaeDo not fall in love, do not worry.
Aasai vaikkaadhae avadhi padaathaeDo not nurture desire, do not endure distress.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Kaadhalikkaadhae kavalai padaathae is a playful yet cautionary track from the 1964 Tamil film Dheiva Thaai , composed by the legendary Viswanathan-Ramamoorthy duo with lyrics by Vaali. Sung by P. Susheela alongside a female chorus, the song offers advice to young women to guard their hearts against romantic affection, warning that love invariably leads to heartbreak and distress. To substantiate the advice, the lyrics contrast two legendary figures: Queen Alli, who maintained strict autonomy and refused to let men influence her heart, and Shakuntala, whose romantic trust in King Dushyanta resulted in rejection and pain. Describing men as deceptive performers whose flattery should not be trusted, the song humorously urges women to stay vigilant and independent.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamaani)

Mangaiyar ellaam malligai thottam / Mattravar ellaam vandugal koottam

Women are metaphorically compared to a pure jasmine garden, while men are likened to a swarm of bees seeking nectar.

Mythological Allusion (Ilakkiya Kurippu)

Andha naalil alli raani kaadhalithaalaa / Shakunthalai mannanai kandaal

Refers to Queen Alli (the fiercely independent female ruler in folklore) and Shakuntala (the legendary character from the Mahabharata whose love story involved deep sorrow).

Monaai (Initial Alliteration)

Kaadhalikkaadhae kavalai padaathae

Repetition of the initial 'Ka' sound across words in the same line.

Iyaibu (Rhyming Endings)

Kaadhalikkaadhae kavalai padaathae / Aasai vaikkaadhae avadhi padaathae

Consistent negative imperative suffix (-aadhae) creating a rhythmic warning tone.

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Trivia

Dheiva Thaai (1964) was an iconic M. G. Ramachandran (MGR) thriller produced by Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Devar. Lyricist Vaali crafted this lighthearted feminist anthem to showcase P. Susheela's vocal versatility, using classical mythological tropes to create an engaging pop-style chorus song.

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