Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Ivan Avanethan album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Maamuniye Maathavame

From Ivan Avanethan · 1960

Lyricist
Kovai Sabapathy
Singer
S. Janaki
Music director
M. Ranga Rao
Movie name
Ivan Avanethan
Movie release year
1960
Lyrics added on
21 Sept 2025

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Maamuniyae….mathavamae
Manimudi thariththu mannanaai vaazhaamal
Munivaraagi thavam seithal muraithaano
Kann thiranthae paarum kanivodu vaarum
Kadunthavam pothum yaenintha mounam
Maamuniyae….mathavamae
Kann thiranthae paarum kanivodu vaarum
En azhagu verum kaanalaagi povathaa
Ilamaiyum ponapin veenaaga novathaa
En sathangaiyin thaalamum oomkaara isai naathamum
Inaivathae inbmaagum vaazhvilae
Maamuniyae….mathavamae
Kann thiranthae paarum kanivodu vaarum
Kadunthavam pothum yaenintha mounam
Maamuniyae….mathavamae…
Kann thiranthaal perinbamingu kaanumae
Kann moodinaal adhu kanavaagi pogumae
Indhira bogam enakkinai illai
Iniyithu pola vera neramillai
Maamuniyae….mathavamae
Kann thiranthae paarum kanivodu vaarum
Kadunthavam pothum yaenintha mounam
Maamuniyae….mathavamae…
Ilagaathathaeno….unaraathathaeno…
Enathaasai veeno sarithaano
Muraithaano…nerithaano…
O great sage... O master of deep penance...
Instead of wearing a crown and living as a king,
is it right for you to become a sage and do penance?
Open your eyes and look at me, come with tenderness!
Enough of this harsh penance, why this silence?
O great sage, O master of deep penance...
Open your eyes and look at me, come with tenderness...
Is my beauty meant to fade away like a mirage?
Should I only grieve in vain once my youth is gone?
The rhythm of my dancing bells and the sacred sound of Om,
their union is the greatest joy in life!
O great sage, O master of deep penance...
Open your eyes and look at me, come with tenderness!
Enough of this harsh penance, why this silence?
O great sage, O master of deep penance...
If you open your eyes, you will find supreme bliss right here;
if you close your eyes, it will only fade into a dream.
Even the heavenly pleasures of Indra cannot compare to mine;
there will never be another moment like this.
O great sage, O master of deep penance...
Open your eyes and look at me, come with tenderness!
Enough of this harsh penance, why this silence?
O great sage, O master of deep penance...
Why hasn't your heart melted? Why don't you understand?
Is my desire in vain? Is this right?
Is it fair? Is this truly the right way?
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This classic song from 'Ivan Avanethan' (1960) portrays a dancer attempting to seduce a royal prince turned sage away from his deep ascetic meditation. She questions why someone born to wear a crown would choose self-denial over earthly joys, warning him that youth and beauty are fleeting like a mirage. Through seductive words, rhythm, and melody, she entreats him to break his vow of silence and embrace sensory pleasure.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamai / Uruvagaimai)

En azhagu verum kaanalaagi povathaa

Comparing fleeting physical beauty to a mirage ('kaanalaagi povathaa') to emphasize its transient nature.

Rhyme / Iyaibu (End Rhyme)

Muraithaano…nerithaano…

The lines end with rhythmic, rhyming musical suffixes ('muraithaano', 'nerithaano') creating a persuasive lyrical cadence.

Antithesis / Contrast

Kann thiranthaal perinbamingu kaanumae / Kann moodinaal adhu kanavaagi pogumae

Contrasting the experience of supreme reality upon opening one's eyes versus losing it as a dream when closing them.

Did you know?

Trivia

This track features music composed by M. Ranga Rao, a legendary composer primarily celebrated in Kannada cinema, who worked on selective Tamil films in the early 1960s. The song showcases S. Janaki's classical rendition abilities early in her career.

Keep listening

Songs with a similar feeling

From the same album

More songs from Ivan Avanethan

View album

Spot an issue?

Help us improve the lyrics or English translation.