- Lyricist
- Ulunthur Pettai Shanmugam
- Singer
- T. R. Mahalingam
- Music director
- Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan
- Movie name
- Agathiyar
- Movie release year
- 1972
- Lyrics added on
- 17 May 2020
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This devotional song from the classic movie Agathiyar praises Lord Muruga, highlighting his divine origins as the son of Lord Shiva and the nephew of Lord Vishnu (Maal Marugan). It glorifies Muruga as the patron and benefactor of the Tamil language and arts, residing in his hill shrines including his six sacred abodes (Arupadai Veedu). The lyrics express that when restless human minds surrender to Lord Muruga, they find ultimate peace, eternal bliss, and unconditional divine grace. The song emphasizes the Lord's peerless cosmic play (Thiruvilaiyaadal) and invokes his blessings with deep devotion.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Emoni (Anaphora / Initial Rhyme)
“Malai nindra thirukkumara / Thamizh kalai thandha kalaichelva”
Repetition of similar sound patterns at the beginning of adjacent lines, such as 'Malai' and 'Thamizh' or 'Alai' and 'Nilaiyaana'.
Edhukai (Second Letter Rhyme)
“Thalaivaa un pugazh paadum / Vilaiyaadum vilaiyaattil unakkillai eedu”
Matching of the second consonant sound across consecutive lines, such as 'l' in 'Malai' and 'Alai', or 'l' in 'Thalaivaa' and 'Vilaiyaadum'.
Metaphor (Uruvagaimai)
“Thamizh kalai thandha kalaichelva”
Addressing Muruga directly as 'Kalaichelva' (the treasure of art) and describing his attributes symbolically.
Did you know?
Trivia
The film 'Agathiyar' (1972) was directed by A. P. Nagarajan and featured music composed by Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan. This song, written by lyricist Ulundurpettai Shanmugam and sung by T. M. Soundararajan, became one of the quintessential Tamil devotional songs dedicated to Lord Muruga and remains widely popular across Tamil Nadu.
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