- Lyricist
- Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathiyaar
- Singer
- P. Bhanumathi
- Music director
- G. Govindarajulu Naidu
- Movie name
- Kalvanin Kadhali -(1955)
- Movie release year
- 1955
- Lyrics added on
- 20 Oct 2025
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This iconic prayer composed by Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathiyar is an impassioned plea to Goddess Sivasakthi regarding human potential and divine purpose. The speaker uses a striking metaphor, comparing a human endowed with deep intellect to a finely crafted musical instrument (Veena). Just as no artisan would carefully make a fine Veena only to discard it in dirt, the Divine Mother would not grant high intelligence only to let it go to waste.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Uvamai (Metaphor / Analogy)
“Nallathor veenai seithae / Adhai nalankeda puzhuthiyil erivathundo”
Human intellect and life are compared to a beautifully constructed Veena, highlighting the tragic waste if human talent is ruined.
Rhetorical Question
“Adhai nalankeda puzhuthiyil erivathundo”
Asking 'erivathundo' (would anyone throw it away?) to forcefully emphasize that divine talent is meant to serve a higher purpose.
Edhugai (Second-letter Rhyme)
“Nallathor / Solladi / Vallamai”
The second consonant 'lla' rhymes across lines in the poem ('Nallathor', 'Solladi', 'Vallamai').
Monai (Initial Alliteration)
“Solladi sivasakthi”
Repetition of the 's' sound at the start of words for rhythmic emphasis.
Did you know?
Trivia
Originally written by Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathiyar as a devotional/philosophical poem titled 'Sivasakthi', this song was adapted for the 1955 classic Tamil film 'Kalvanin Kadhali' (starring Sivaji Ganesan and P. Bhanumathi). It was rendered powerfully by multi-talented actress-singer P. Bhanumathi under G. Govindarajulu Naidu's musical direction.
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