- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- T. M. Soundararajan
- Music directors
- S. Dakshinamurthi, G. Ramanathan
- Movie name
- Kalyani (1952)
- Movie release year
- 1952
- Lyrics added on
- 22 Oct 2025
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song is a poignant philosophical commentary on how the obsessive pursuit of wealth degrades moral values and human relationships. It asserts that greed consumes even the purest forms of love, such as maternal affection, reducing humanity to a ruthless state where people act like beasts in a wild jungle. Kannadasan's lyricism warns that money acts as a demon causing both the rise and tragic fall of individuals in a world ruled by deceitful schemers.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uruvam)
“Pana theeyinil vegumadaa”
Money is metaphorically personified as 'Pana theeyinil' (fire of money) and 'Pana peyinaal' (ghost/demon of money) to illustrate its destructive and intoxicating nature.
Antithesis / Contrast (Ethirsol)
“Vaazhvaavathum thaazhvaavathum”
Contrasting 'Vaazhvaavathum' (prospering/living) with 'Thaazhvaavathum' (decline/perishing) to depict the volatile nature of life driven by wealth.
Imagery / Metaphor
“Panakkaattilae manithan vilankaavaan”
Compares a society driven by greed to 'Panakkaattu' (a jungle of money) where human beings turn into wild beasts ('vilankaavaan').
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Trivia
This track from the 1952 movie 'Kalyani' served as one of the early career highlights for T. M. Soundararajan (TMS) and lyricist Kannadasan. It established TMS's signature robust voice for deep, philosophical Tamil film songs long before he became the definitive voice for M. G. Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan.
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