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Kasthuri Manjal album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Munnooru Naal

From Kasthuri Manjal · 1992

Lyricist
Vaali
Singer
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Music director
Deva
Movie name
Kasthuri Manjal
Movie release year
1992
Lyrics added on
29 May 2026

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Munnooru naal sumandhu
Mul melae thavam irundhu
Pethuthaan
Per vecha aathaa
Unnaama thaan irundhu
Urangaama vizhichirundhu
Enna dhaan
Kaalam ellaam kaatha
Petha thaai pola
Oru deivam alla
Naanum kumbidathaan
Veru koyil illa
Ava thaalattu thandha varam
En paattu thaan
Munnooru naal sumandhu
Mul melae thavam irundhu
Pethuthaan
Per vecha aathaa
Pattaala velaikkuthaan
Poyi serndha purushanum thaan
Vedu avndha seravilla
Saedhi enna theriyavilla
Aanaalum than purushan
Vandhu sera koodumunnu
Vecha poova edukavilla
Nethi pottu
Kalaikkavilla
Thaniya irundhaa
Thavicha en aathaa
Enathaan valarthu
Kudumbatha kaatha
Avapatta thunbam
Onnaa rendaa
Paattula solla
Ava vitta kanneer ennaal
Ippa kaayudhu mella
Munnooru naal sumandhu
Mul melae thavam irundhu
Pethuthaan
Per vecha aathaa
Munnooru naal sumandhu
Mul melae thavam irundhu
Pethuthaan
Per vecha aathaa
Unnaama thaan irundhu
Urangaama vizhichirundhu
Enna dhaan
Kaalam ellaam kaatha
Petha thaai pola
Oru deivam alla
Naanum kumbidathaan
Veru koyil illa
Ava thaalattu thandha varam
En paattu thaan
Edhaachum siru thurumbhu
En mel vilundhuchunna
Than vazhiyil mullu onnu
Thachadhu pol thudithiduvaa
Yaaraachum kannu vechi
En maeni ilaikkumunnu
Enga ooru ammanukku
Ponga vechu padaichiduvaa
Usura udalaa irukkum en aathaa
Irvaa pagalaa ozhaichadha paath
Ada indha jenmam paathathaiyaa
Nandriya solla
Adha sollavittaa
Naanum ingae manushanum alla
Munnooru naal sumandhu
Mul melae thavam irundhu
Pethuthaan
Per vecha aathaa
Unnaama thaan irundhu
Urangaama vizhichirundhu
Enna dhaan
Kaalam ellaam kaatha
Carrying me for three hundred days,
enduring penance as if on thorns,
giving birth to me,
my mother gave me a name.
Going without food,
staying awake without sleep,
it was me
she protected all her life.
Like the mother who gave birth to me,
there is no god.
And for me to worship,
there is no other temple.
The blessing her lullaby gave me
is this very song of mine.
Carrying me for three hundred days,
enduring penance as if on thorns,
giving birth to me,
my mother gave me a name.
Off to join the army,
the husband she married
never returned home,
and no news was ever heard.
Even so, believing her husband
might return one day,
she never took off the flowers from her hair,
and the dot on her forehead
she never wiped away.
Left all alone,
my mother struggled in sorrow,
raising me up
and keeping our family safe.
The troubles she endured,
are they just one or two
to tell in a song?
The tears she shed
are now slowly drying because of me.
Carrying me for three hundred days,
enduring penance as if on thorns,
giving birth to me,
my mother gave me a name.
Carrying me for three hundred days,
enduring penance as if on thorns,
giving birth to me,
my mother gave me a name.
Going without food,
staying awake without sleep,
it was me
she protected all her life.
Like the mother who gave birth to me,
there is no god.
And for me to worship,
there is no other temple.
The blessing her lullaby gave me
is this very song of mine.
If even a tiny speck of straw
fell upon me,
as if a thorn had pierced her own eye,
she would shudder in pain.
Fearing someone's evil eye
would make me waste away,
to our village goddess,
she would cook and offer pongal.
My mother, who is my life and body,
seeing how she toiled day and night,
oh, this lifetime is not enough
to express my gratitude.
If I do not say it,
I wouldn't even be human.
Carrying me for three hundred days,
enduring penance as if on thorns,
giving birth to me,
my mother gave me a name.
Going without food,
staying awake without sleep,
it was me
she protected all her life...
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This emotional song is a heartfelt tribute from a son to his mother, acknowledging her monumental sacrifices, unconditional love, and endurance throughout his life. He describes how she bore him for ten months with utmost care and pain, sacrificed her food and sleep to raise him, and stood as the sole pillar of the family after his father left for military service and never returned. Despite her grief and uncertainties, she maintained her hope and dignity, protecting her child from every hardship.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamai / Uruvagam)

“Mul melae thavam irundhu”

Comparing pregnancy and motherly sacrifice to performing penance on thorns ('Mul melae thavam irundhu').

Metaphor

“Petha thaai pola Oru deivam alla”

Comparing the mother to a temple/deity, stating there is no greater god or shrine than her.

Ethukai (Second letter rhyming)

“Munnooru naal sumandhu / Mul melae thavam irundhu”

Rhyming of second letters in consecutive lines: 'Munnooru' / 'Mul melae' and 'Unnaama' / 'Urangaama'.

Hyperbole / Emphatic Imagery

“Than vazhiyil mullu onnu Thachadhu pol thudithiduvaa”

Exaggerating the mother's extreme empathy where a tiny speck falling on her child feels like a thorn pricking her own feet.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by Deva with soulful lyrics by Vaali and sung by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, this song from Kasthuri Manjal (1992) remains one of the iconic mother-sentiment tracks in Tamil cinema, known for its poignant depiction of a mother's endurance after her soldier husband goes missing.

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