Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Sonnaal Inikkudhu

From Saranam Ayyappa · 1980

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singers
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki
Music director
Chandrabose
Details
Saranam Ayyappa1980

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Sonnaal inikkudhu sugamaai irukkudhuSaying your name tastes sweet and feels pleasantly comforting
Ponnaai maniyaai un mugam jolikkudhuYour face shines brilliantly like gold and precious gems
Female
Sonnaal inikkudhu sugamaai irukkudhuSaying your name tastes sweet and feels pleasantly comforting
Ponnaai maniyaai un mugam jolikkudhuYour face shines brilliantly like gold and precious gems
Male
Sonnaal inikkudhu sugamaai irukkudhuSaying your name tastes sweet and feels pleasantly comforting
Ponnaai maniyaai un mugam jolikkudhuYour face shines brilliantly like gold and precious gems
Male
Harihara puthira avadhaaramaeO divine incarnation born as the son of Hari and Hara
Adhikaalai kaetkindra bhoobaalamaeO Bhoopalam melody heard in the early dawn
Female
Harihara puthira avadhaaramaeO divine incarnation born as the son of Hari and Hara
Adhikaalai kaetkindra bhoobaalamaeO Bhoopalam melody heard in the early dawn
Male
Anuvukkul anuvaana aadhaaramaeO ultimate foundation residing as the atom within an atom
Anuvukkul anuvaana aadhaaramaeO ultimate foundation residing as the atom within an atom
Naan andraadam padikkindra dhaevaaramaeO sacred Thevaram hymn that I recite every day
Female
Sonnaal inikkudhu sugamaai irukkudhuSaying your name tastes sweet and feels pleasantly comforting
Ponnaai maniyaai un mugam jolikkudhuYour face shines brilliantly like gold and precious gems
Female
Vaedhathin vidhaiyaaga vizhundhavanaeO one who descended as the very seed of the Vedas
Veerathin kanaiyaaga pirandhavanaeO one born as the fierce arrow of valor
Male
Vaedhathin vidhaiyaaga vizhundhavanaeO one who descended as the very seed of the Vedas
Veerathin kanaiyaaga pirandhavanaeO one born as the fierce arrow of valor
Female
Baedhathai poraadi azhithavanaeO one who fought against and destroyed discrimination
Baedhathai poraadi azhithavanaeO one who fought against and destroyed discrimination
Gnaana vaedhaandha porulaaga thigazhbavanaeO one who shines as the true essence of spiritual wisdom
Male
Sonnaal inikkudhu sugamaai irukkudhuSaying your name tastes sweet and feels pleasantly comforting
Ponnaai maniyaai un mugam jolikkudhuYour face shines brilliantly like gold and precious gems
Male
Villudan ambudan vaengai puliyudanWith bow and arrow, alongside the fierce tiger
Porkkalam pugundhavanaeO hero who stepped onto the battlefield
Male
Solli mudithidum mun varumEven before a devotee finishes uttering a prayer
Pagaiyai killi erindhavanaeO one who nips enmity in the bud and destroys it
Alli eduthu arul tharubavanaeO one who gathers devotees in love and bestows abundant grace
Anbae vadivaai iruppavanae….yae….O one who is the personification of pure love
Un pugazhai….Chanting your glory...
Male
Sonnaal inikkudhu sugamaai irukkudhuSaying your name tastes sweet and feels pleasantly comforting
Ponnaai maniyaai un mugam jolikkudhuYour face shines brilliantly like gold and precious gems

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Sonnaal Inikkudhu is a renowned Tamil devotional hymn dedicated to Lord Ayyappan from the film Saranam Ayyappa (1980), penned by Kannadasan. The lyrics express the boundless bliss and sweet contentment experienced by a devotee when chanting the name of Lord Ayyappa. The deity's divine face is described as radiating brilliance like pure gold and glittering gems, filling the worshipper's heart with peace.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Upamai)

Ponnaai maniyaai un mugam jolikkudhu

Compares the radiant face of Lord Ayyappa directly to shiny gold and glittering gems.

Metaphor (Uruvagamm)

Vaedhathin vidhaiyaaga vizhundhavanae

Metaphorically addresses the deity as the seed of Vedic wisdom, the arrow of valor, and a morning Bhoopalam raaga.

Edhugai (Second Letter Rhyme)

Vaedhathin vidhaiyaaga vizhundhavanae

Matching second consonant patterns across consecutive lines ('Vaedhathin', 'Veerathin', 'Baedhathai').

Alliteration (Monaai)

Sonnaal inikkudhu sugamaai irukkudhu

Repetition of initial phonetic sounds creating musicality and rhythmic flow ('Sonnaal', 'sugamaai').

Did you know?

Trivia

This song is a staple in Tamil Nadu during the annual Sabarimala pilgrimage season (Mandala-Makaravilakku). Kannadasan's lyrical framing of Ayyappan as both an ultimate cosmic atom (Anuvukkul anuvaana) and an embodiment of pure love highlights traditional Advaita Vedanta philosophy woven into accessible devotional music.

Keep listening

More from Saranam Ayyappa