Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Oruvan Vanthan

From Rathna Manjari · 1961

Lyricist
Puratchi Dasan
Singer
P. B. Sreenivas
Music director
Rajan Nagendra
Movie name
Rathna Manjari
Movie release year
1961
Lyrics added on
8 May 2024

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Oruvan vandhan .. oruvan ponaan
Naduvil nindravan
Azhudhan sirithaan
Vaazhndhavan utkaarndhaan
Vaaliban nadakkindraan
Iravu pagal varugiradhu
Yedhyedho nadakkirathu
Nedunaal ulagam paarkkiradhu
Nimmadhi izhandhu irukkiradhu
One man came... another left
The one who stood in the middle
Cried and laughed
The one who lived his life sat down
The young man keeps walking
Night and day come and go
So many things keep happening
The world has watched for a long time
And it has lost its peace
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song is a deep philosophical reflection on the transience of human life, the inevitability of aging, and the relentless march of time. It illustrates the human condition where one generation passes away while a new generation steps up, experiencing the same spectrum of emotions—joy, sorrow, vitality, and eventual decline. Through all this human drama, nature's cycles of day and night continue uninterrupted while the world watches on, burdened by a perpetual loss of peace.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Muran (Antithesis)

Oruvan vandhan .. oruvan ponaan

Uses contrasting ideas of arrival ('vandhan') and departure ('ponaan') in the same line to emphasize the birth-and-death cycle of human life.

Muran (Antithesis)

Azhudhan sirithaan

Contrasts weeping ('Azhudhan') with laughing ('sirithaan') to represent the dual nature of human emotion.

Antithesis / Binary Pairing

Iravu pagal varugiradhu

Pairs opposing elements of nature—night ('iravu') and day ('pagal')—to symbolize the continuous, unstoppable progression of time.

Iyaipu (End Rhyme)

Yedhyedho nadakkirathu / Nimmadhi izhandhu irukkiradhu

The matching end sounds 'nadakkirathu' and 'irukkiradhu' create a rhythmic and musical flow at the conclusion of these couplets.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Rathna Manjari' (1961) was a Tamil dub/bilingual release of the hit Kannada fantasy-adventure film 'Ratnamanjari', directed by Hunsur Krishnamurthy. The music was composed by the legendary Kannada composer duo Rajan–Nagendra. Singer P. B. Sreenivas was renowned across South Indian cinema for delivering deep, contemplative philosophical songs with his signature velvet voice, and lyricist Puratchi Dasan crafted lyrics that seamlessly adapted Tamil philosophical sensibilities into dubbed musical tracks.

Keep listening

Songs with a similar feeling

From the same album

More songs from Rathna Manjari

View album

Spot an issue?

Help us improve the lyrics or English translation.