- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- T. M. Soundararajan
- Music director
- Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
- Movie name
- Panathottam
- Movie release year
- 1963
- Lyrics added on
- 21 Oct 2025
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
Panathottam (Garden of Money) is a timeless philosophical song written by Kannadasan for the 1963 MGR film of the same name. Through vivid metaphors, the song reflects on human greed and the corrupting nature of wealth. It begins by contrasting natural gardens—where animals and insects seek fruits and flowers—with the human realm, where man abandons peace of mind to chase money. Kannadasan laments that a culture built on proud heritage and lion-like bravery has succumbed to the lure of gold.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uruvagam)
“Manidhanukku thottamadi manathottam”
Compares various natural settings to the human condition, equating the mind and money to gardens ('Manathottam', 'Panathottam').
Simile (Upamai)
“Singam pola valarndha gunam”
Compares the bravery and growth of character to a lion ('Singam pola').
Biblical Allusion
“Oosi munai kaadhukullae / Ottagangal ponaalum”
Adapts the biblical phrase 'It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle' to convey the stubbornness of human greed.
Analogy
“Ennaiyudan thanneerai / Eppadithaan kalandhaalum”
Uses the physical impossibility of permanently mixing oil and water to illustrate how true character cannot be disguised or altered.
Did you know?
Trivia
The line 'Oosi munai kaadhukullae ottagangal ponaalum' is Kannadasan's celebrated Tamil adaptation of the famous Biblical quote from Matthew 19:24. The song's commentary on wealth and moral corruption perfectly complemented the socio-political themes often associated with M. G. Ramachandran's cinema in the 1960s.
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