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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Maaya Ganga

From Banaras · 2022

Lyricist
Pazhani Bharathi
Singer
Armaan Malik
Music director
B. Ajaneesh Loknath
Details
Banaras2022

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Maaya ganga maaya gangaMystical Ganga, mystical Ganga,
Nenjam moozhgudhaeMy heart is drowning.
Mounamaana maayam ondruA silent illusion
Ennai moodudhaeEnvelops me.
Male
Kaalam maayamoIs time an illusion,
Illai kaadhal maayamoOr is love an illusion?
Adi ennai naan yaarena kettenOh, I asked myself who I am.
Dheva dhevadhaiAs the divine angel
Sellum sorkka paadhaiyilWalked on the heavenly path,
Oru dhevanaai ennai naan paarthenI saw myself as a divine prince.
Male
Ye thaththalikkum nenjamOh, my struggling heart
Suzhalil sikki kondu aadudhae ho ooIs caught in a whirlpool and dances, ho oo.
Angum ingum odi karaiyaiRunning here and there to reach the shore,
Patrikkolla thedudhae ho hooooSearching for something to hold on to, ho hoooo.
Male
Maaya ganga maaya gangaMystical Ganga, mystical Ganga,
Nenjam moozhgudhaeMy heart is drowning.
Mounamaana maayam ondruA silent illusion
Ennai moodudhaeEnvelops me.
Male
Ho poo neettinaalOh, she offered a flower,
Thaen oottinaalShe fed honey,
Vaan kaattinaalShe showed the sky.
Yedho or vaarththaiyilWith a single word,
Isai koottinaalShe composed music,
Thaalaattinaal hey hey heyShe sang a lullaby, hey hey hey.
Male
Paaloorum aval paadhamHer milk-soft feet,
Azhagin bodhu ennul yengudhaeIntoxicated with beauty, yearns within me.
En nenjam aval pogum kaadhal padhaiyilMy heart follows the path of love she walks on.
Male
Soga raathiri veettil vaiththaLike a lamp placed in a house
Dheebam polOn a sorrowful night,
Ennai theendudhae thoondudhae kaadhalLove touches and stirs me.
Saagum bothilum dhegam vegum pothilumEven in death, even when the body burns,
Nenjil aadumae dhevadhai oonjalThe angel's swing will sway in my heart.
Male
Maaya ganga maaya gangaMystical Ganga, mystical Ganga,
Nenjam moozhgudhaeMy heart is drowning.
Mounamaana maayam ondruA silent illusion
Ennai moodudhaeEnvelops me.
Male
Ho mohangalin poo vaasanai poongaatrilaeOh, the floral fragrance of desire in the gentle breeze,
Ho mounangalil uraiyaadudhaeOh, it converses in silences
En moochilaeIn my breath.
Hey hey heyHey hey hey.
En vaanin oli meengal avalin kangalilThe bright stars of my sky
MaarudhaeAre transformed into her eyes.
En kaalam alai modhum avalin kaadhalilMy time crashes like waves in her love.
Male
Ennai sutrilumAll around me,
Vannam vannam soodudhaeColors upon colors deck me.
Kaadhal venpani ennai moodaAs the white snow of love covers me,
Mudivillaamalae odum nadhiyin paadhaiyilOn the path of an endlessly flowing river,
Endhan nenjamum thulliyae odaMy heart leaps and runs along.
Male
Maaya ganga maaya gangaMystical Ganga, mystical Ganga,
Nenjam moozhgudhaeMy heart is drowning.
Mounamaana maayam ondruA silent illusion
Ennai moodudhaeEnvelops me.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Maaya Ganga from the film Banaras (2022) is a deeply romantic and surreal track that captures the protagonist's profound mesmerization upon falling in love. Equating the overwhelming intensity of love to the sacred, mystical Ganga river, the lyrics express a state of spiritual intoxication where boundaries between time, reality, and illusion begin to blur. The song details how the beloved's grace elevates the protagonist to a heavenly realm while simultaneously tossing his heart into a whirlpool of pure emotion. Themes of eternal devotion—asserting that love endures even beyond death and physical burning—are beautifully expressed alongside gentle nature imagery of light, stars, breeze, and endless rivers.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (உருவகம் - Uruvagam)

Maaya ganga maaya ganga Nenjam moozhgudhae

Compares love and deep emotion to 'Maaya Ganga' (a mystical Ganges) drowning the heart.

Monai / Initial Alliteration (மோனை)

Mounamaana maayam ondru

Repetition of the 'M' sound at the start of words creating a rhythmic, hypnotic flow.

Simile (உவமை - Uvamai)

Soga raathiri veettil vaiththa Dheebam pol

Compares the gentle touch of love to a lamp burning inside a house on a sad night.

Internal Rhyme / Edhugai (எதுகை)

Ennai theendudhae thoondudhae kaadhal

Harmonious internal rhyming sound between 'theendudhae' (touches) and 'thoondudhae' (stirs).

Personification

Ho mounangalil uraiyaadudhae En moochilae

Gives human action (conversing/talking) to silence ('mounangalil uraiyaadudhae').

Did you know?

Trivia

The song 'Maaya Ganga' is part of the pan-Indian romantic mystery film 'Banaras' (2022). Set against the spiritual backdrop of the ghats of Varanasi, the Tamil version was sung by popular Hindi playback singer Armaan Malik, bringing a unique soulful texture to B. Ajaneesh Loknath's composition.

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