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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Mayangukiral Indha Madurai

From Prayachitham · 1974

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
P. Susheela
Music director
M. S. Sanjay
Details
Prayachitham1974

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Mayangugiraal intha madurai meenatchiThis Madurai Meenakshi is swooning in grief,
Maayavan annanai kaanavillai endruBecause her magical brother Krishna is nowhere to be seen.
Vaaraai kannaa en gogula mannaa en annaaCome, my Lord Krishna, my king of Gokulam, my brother!
Female
Mayangugiraal intha madurai meenatchiThis Madurai Meenakshi is swooning in grief,
Maayavan annanai kaanavillai endruBecause her magical brother Krishna is nowhere to be seen.
Female
Manimaada thendral vaigaiyil vizhunthuAs the gentle breeze from high balconies falls upon river Vaigai,
Malar polum kannil kanneer ezhunthuTears arise in her flower-like eyes.
Varunthum thunbam arivaayoDo you not know the pain and sorrow she endures?
Udan piranthaalai maranthaayoHave you forgotten the sister born alongside you?
Female
Mayangugiraal intha madurai meenatchiThis Madurai Meenakshi is swooning in grief,
Maayavan annanai kaanavillai endruBecause her magical brother Krishna is nowhere to be seen.
Female
Oru thaayin pillai oru kodi mullaiChildren of one mother are like ten million jasmine flowers,
Ondraagum andri irandaavathilaiThey remain united as one and never become two.
Anbum paasamum poithaanaaWas all your love and affection merely a lie?
Annaa naan unnai marapenaaOh brother, could I ever forget you?
Female
Mayangugiraal intha madurai meenatchiThis Madurai Meenakshi is swooning in grief,
Maayavan annanai kaanavillai endruBecause her magical brother Krishna is nowhere to be seen.
Female
Manamedai kandu maanikka meenaalBeholding the marriage dais, the precious gem-like Meenakshi wonders,
Manakkolam kolla nee illaiyaanaalIf you are not present when she dresses as a bride,
Manjal kungumam yaar tharuvaarWho will grant her the auspicious turmeric and vermilion?
Kadamaiyai enni varuvaayoWill you not return, considering it your solemn duty?
Female
Mayangugiraal intha madurai meenatchiThis Madurai Meenakshi is swooning in grief,
Maayavan annanai kaanavillai endruBecause her magical brother Krishna is nowhere to be seen.
Mayangugiraal intha madurai meenatchiThis Madurai Meenakshi is swooning in grief,
Maayavan annanai kaanavillai endruBecause her magical brother Krishna is nowhere to be seen.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This poignant song draws an allegorical parallel between the mythical sibling relationship of Goddess Meenakshi of Madurai and her divine brother Lord Vishnu (Maayavan/Krishna) and a human sister pining for her estranged brother. The sister likens her plight to Goddess Meenakshi waiting for her brother Vishnu to perform the ritual of giving away the bride at her wedding. Through deeply emotional rhetoric, she questions if sibling bond and childhood affection could ever fade into lie, pleading for her brother to return and fulfill his duties as her protector and family elder.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Allegory / Mythological Allusion (Uvamanai)

Mayangugiraal intha madurai meenatchi Maayavan annanai kaanavillai endru

The lyrics metaphorically compare the sister to Goddess Meenakshi of Madurai and her brother to Lord Vishnu (Maayavan), evoking the traditional Tamil myth where Vishnu gives away Meenakshi in marriage to Lord Shiva.

Simile (Upamai)

Malar polum kannil kanneer ezhunthu

Comparing the eyes of the grieving sister to soft blossoms filled with tearful dew drops.

Monoreyme / Initial Assonance (Edukku & Monai)

Manamedai kandu maanikka meenaal

Repetition of the initial 'M' sound across consecutive lines ('Manamedai', 'Maanikka', 'Manakkolam', 'Manjal'), adding a lyrical rhythm.

Did you know?

Trivia

Kannadasan was famous for embedding rich Tamil cultural mythology and fraternal devotion into film lyrics. Drawing upon the celestial sibling bond between Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Vishnu (traditionally celebrated during the Chithirai Thiruvizha in Madurai), he elevated deep human emotional conflicts into sacred archetypes easily understood and felt by Tamil audiences.

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