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Jathagam album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Mooda Nambikaiyale

From Jathagam · 1953

Lyricist
T. K. Sundara Vadhyar
Singer
P. B. Sreenivas
Music director
R. Govarthanam
Movie name
Jathagam
Movie release year
1953
Lyrics added on
5 Feb 2025

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Mooda nambikkaiyale
Pala kedu vilaiyum manidha
Mooda nambikkaiyale
Pala kedu vilaiyum manidha
Idhai aadumaadu polae
Ariyaamal vaazhalaama
Idhai aadumaadu polae
Ariyaamal vaazhalaama
Verum mooda nambikkaiyale
Pala kedu vilaiyum manidha
Perum moodu paniyai polae
Unai moodi maraikkum madamai
Moodu paniyai polae
Unai moodi maraikkum madamai
Arivodu edhaiyum neeyae
Aaraaya venum manidha
Pagutharivodu edhaiyum neeyae
Aaraaya venum manidha
Malaiyodu modhi modhi
Malaiyodu modhi modhi
Kalaindhodum megham polae
Nilaiyaadha poiyai nambhi
Alaiyaadhae veenil manidha
Verum mooda nambikkaiyale
Pala kedu vilaiyum manidha
Irul kandu boodham endru
Marulgindra mooda manidha
Irul kandu boodham endru
Marulgindra mooda manidha
Irul endru kanda pinnae
Marulgindra boodham engae
Irul endru kanda pinnae
Marulgindra boodham engae
Vidhiyendru enni enni
Vidhiyendru enni enni
Melivaagi nondhidaathae
Edhir nindra edhaiyum vellum
Madhi undu paedhai manidha
Verum mooda nambikkaiyale
Pala kedu vilaiyum manidha
Idhai aadumaadu polae
Ariyaamal vaazhalaama
Verum mooda nambikkaiyale
Pala kedu vilaiyum manidha
Through blind superstition,
Great harm will come, O man!
Through blind superstition,
Great harm will come, O man!
Like cattle,
Can you live without understanding this?
Like cattle,
Can you live without understanding this?
Merely through blind superstition,
Great harm will come, O man!
Like a heavy blanket of fog,
Ignorance covers and blinds you.
Like a blanket of fog,
Ignorance covers and blinds you.
With wisdom, you yourself
Must examine everything, O man!
With rational thought, you yourself
Must examine everything, O man!
Crashing against the mountains,
Crashing against the mountains,
Like clouds that scatter and fade,
Believing in fleeting lies,
Do not wander in vain, O man!
Merely through blind superstition,
Great harm will come, O man!
Seeing the dark and fearing a ghost,
O foolish man who trembles in fright!
Seeing the dark and fearing a ghost,
O foolish man who trembles in fright!
Once you see that it is only the dark,
Where is the ghost that frightened you?
Once you see that it is only the dark,
Where is the ghost that frightened you?
Thinking constantly of fate,
Thinking constantly of fate,
Do not wither away in sorrow!
To stand up and conquer anything,
You have an intellect, O naive man!
Merely through blind superstition,
Great harm will come, O man!
Like cattle,
Can you live without understanding this?
Merely through blind superstition,
Great harm will come, O man!
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Mooda Nambikkaiyale from the 1953 film Jathagam is a social reform anthem advocating against superstition and blind faith. The lyrics call upon humans to stop living mindlessly like cattle and instead use rational thinking (pagutharivu) to analyze the world around them. It compares ignorance to a heavy fog that blinds reason and lies to fleeting clouds that scatter when faced with real obstacles. The song specifically dismantles fears born of darkness and fatalism, pointing out that 'ghosts' vanish once the truth of darkness is understood, and fate can be overcome using human intellect (madhi). overall, it serves as a powerful call for intellectual awakening and self-reliance.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Upamai)

“Idhai aadumaadu polae”

Compares humans living blindly without critical thought to cattle ('aadumaadu polae').

Simile (Upamai)

“Perum moodu paniyai polae”

Compares ignorance that clouds human reasoning to a heavy fog ('Perum moodu paniyai polae').

Simile (Upamai)

“Kalaindhodum megham polae”

Compares transient lies to clouds scattering after colliding with mountains ('Kalaindhodum megham polae').

Repetition / Reduplication (Adukkuthodar)

“Malaiyodu modhi modhi”

Repeating words like 'modhi modhi' and 'enni enni' to emphasize persistent, habitual mistakes.

Did you know?

Trivia

Jathagam (1953), directed by R. Nagendra Rao, is a satirical comedy-drama centered around astrology and superstitions. The song 'Mooda Nambikkaiyale' strongly echoes the rationalist ideology (Pagutharivu) promoted by Periyar E. V. Ramasamy and the Dravidian movement, which heavily influenced Tamil cinema during the 1950s.

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