- Lyricist
- Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathiyaar
- Singer
- Seerkazhi Govindarajan
- Music director
- K. V. Mahadevan
- Movie name
- Naalu Veli Nilam
- Movie release year
- 1959
- Lyrics added on
- 31 Aug 2025
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This devotional song is a passionate invocation composed by Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathiyar, pleading with Lord Murugan to shower his divine grace on humanity. The poet calls upon Murugan to arrive riding his majestic peacock, wielding his sharp spear (Vel) to destroy human anxieties and suffering, which are described as an overwhelming ocean. Bharathiyar addresses Murugan as the ultimate teacher, the son of Shiva, the essence of the Vedas, and the commander of celestial forces, asking him to bless his devotees with physical prosperity, moral courage, noble intellect, and purposeful endeavor on earth.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Repetition / Invocation (Adukkuthodar)
“Muruga muruga muruga”
Repeated invocation of the deity's name 'Muruga' creates a rhythmic, meditative, and passionate devotional chant.
Metaphor (Uruvagaim)
“Kavalai kadalai kadiyum vadivel muruga”
'Kavalai kadal' compares life's anxieties to an endless, drowning ocean that only Murugan's spear can cut through.
Metaphor (Uruvagaim)
“Arivagiya koyilile”
'Arivagiya koyilile' metaphorically presents true wisdom as a sacred temple where divinity resides.
Assonance and Rhythm (Iyaibu / Monai)
“Thavamum thiramum dhanamum ganamum”
Rhyming ending suffixes (-am) across multiple virtues creates musicality and emphasis on the blessings sought.
Did you know?
Trivia
This song features lyrics by the renowned national poet Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathiyar. Set to music by legendary composer K. V. Mahadevan and rendered in the commanding, resonant voice of Seerkazhi Govindarajan, it remains one of the most celebrated classical devotional compositions in Tamil cinema from the 1959 movie 'Naalu Veli Nilam'.
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