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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Thaayir Chirandha

From Agathiyar · 1972

Lyricist
Poovai Senguttavan
Singer
T. K. Kala
Music director
Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan
Details
Agathiyar1972

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Thaayir chirandha kovilum illaiThere is no temple greater than a mother.
Thandhai solmikka mandhiram illaiThere is no sacred mantra greater than a father's word.
Aayiram uravil perumaigal illaiThere is no true value in a thousand other relationships.
Annai thandhaiyae anbin ellaiMother and father are the ultimate limit of love.
Female
Thaayir chirandha kovilum illaiThere is no temple greater than a mother.
Thandhai solmikka mandhiram illaiThere is no sacred mantra greater than a father's word.
Aayiram uravil perumaigal illaiThere is no true value in a thousand other relationships.
Annai thandhaiyae anbin ellaiMother and father are the ultimate limit of love.
Female
Thaayir chirandha kovilum illaiThere is no temple greater than a mother.
Thandhai solmikka mandhiram illaiThere is no sacred mantra greater than a father's word.
Female
Thannalam attradhu thaayin nenjamA mother's heart is completely devoid of selfishness.
Thaaimai nirainthadhu kadavulin nenjamGod's heart is filled with motherly affection.
Thannalam attradhu thaayin nenjamA mother's heart is completely devoid of selfishness.
Thaaimai nirainthadhu kadavulin nenjamGod's heart is filled with motherly affection.
Mannuyir kaappavar maandharul dheivamHe who protects living beings on Earth is a deity among humans.
Mannuyir kaappavar maandharul dheivamHe who protects living beings on Earth is a deity among humans.
Annaiyum pithaavum munnari dheivamMother and father are the primary visible gods.
Female
Thaayir chirandha kovilum illaiThere is no temple greater than a mother.
Thandhai solmikka mandhiram illaiThere is no sacred mantra greater than a father's word.
Aayiram uravil perumaigal illaiThere is no true value in a thousand other relationships.
Annai thandhaiyae anbin ellaiMother and father are the ultimate limit of love.
Female
Porumayir chirandha boomiyum unduThere is the earth, which is supreme in patience.
Boomiyai minjum thaaimanam unduYet there is a mother's heart that surpasses even the earth.
Porumayir chirandha boomiyum unduThere is the earth, which is supreme in patience.
Boomiyai minjum thaaimanam unduYet there is a mother's heart that surpasses even the earth.
Kovilil ondru.. kudumbathil ondru..One in the temple... one in the family...
Kovilil ondru.. kudumbathil ondru..One in the temple... one in the family...
Karunaiyum thaayum kadavulum ondruCompassion, mother, and God are all one and the same.
Female
Thaayir chirandha kovilum illaiThere is no temple greater than a mother.
Thandhai solmikka mandhiram illaiThere is no sacred mantra greater than a father's word.
Aayiram uravil perumaigal illaiThere is no true value in a thousand other relationships.
Annai thandhaiyae anbin ellaiMother and father are the ultimate limit of love.
Female
Thaayir chirandha kovilum illaiThere is no temple greater than a mother.
Thandhai solmikka mandhiram illaiThere is no sacred mantra greater than a father's word.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This iconic Tamil song celebrates parents as the ultimate manifestations of divinity, love, and sacrifice on earth. It asserts that a mother's selfless love is superior to any temple, and a father's guidance is more powerful than any holy mantra. The lyrics compare a mother's patience to mother nature herself, concluding that a mother's capacity for love surpasses even the vast earth. Ultimately, the song conveys that true godliness resides in loving parents and caring for living beings.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (உருவகம்)

Thaayir chirandha kovilum illai / Thandhai solmikka mandhiram illai

Equating a mother to a holy temple and a father's word to a sacred mantra.

Hyperbole (உயர்வு நவிற்சி அணி)

Boomiyai minjum thaaimanam undu

Exaggerating a mother's patience as being even greater than Mother Earth.

Edhugai (second letter rhyming)

Thannalam attradhu thaayin nenjam / Thaaimai nirainthadhu kadavulin nenjam

Harmonious second-letter consonant matching in Tamil poetic tradition ('nn' in Thannalam and Thaaimai).

Did you know?

Trivia

This iconic track from the 1972 Tamil mythological film 'Agathiyar' was composed by Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan and sung by T. M. Soundararajan. The famous opening lines draw directly from classical Tamil moral literature, specifically Avvaiyar's 'Kondrai Venthan'.

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