Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Udal Enna Uyir Enna

From Amaravathi · 1993

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
Ashok
Music director
Bala Bharathi
Details
Amaravathi1993

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Ahaaa…aaa…..aa….aaaa…Ahaaa…aaa…..aa….aaaa…
Sa ga ma pa dha …ga ma ga ri ga sa pa …Sa ga ma pa dha …ga ma ga ri ga sa pa …
Male
Udal enna uyir ennaWhat is the body? What is the soul?
Uravenna ulagennaWhat are relationships? What is the world?
Vidhiyenna vidaiyenna manamaeWhat is destiny, and what is the answer, Oh mind?
Male
Odum nadhiyellaam kadaloduAll running rivers merge into the sea
Udalellaam mannoduAll bodies merge into the soil
Uyir pogum idamengae manamaeWhere does the soul go, Oh mind?
Male
Indha vaazhkkai vaadikkaiThis life is a routine habit
Idhu vaana vedikkaiIt is a firework display in the sky
Inbam thedi vaazhum jeevan ellamAll living beings searching for happiness
Thavikkudhu thudikkidhuSuffer and throb with pain
Male
Udal enna uyir ennaWhat is the body? What is the soul?
Uravenna ulagennaWhat are relationships? What is the world?
Vidhiyenna vidaiyenna manamaeWhat is destiny, and what is the answer, Oh mind?
Male
Odum nadhiyellaam kadaloduAll running rivers merge into the sea
Udalellaam mannoduAll bodies merge into the soil
Uyir pogum idamengae manamaeWhere does the soul go, Oh mind?
Male
Kaadhalai paadaamalWithout singing of love
Kaaviyam ingillaiThere is no epic literature here
Aanaalaum kaadhaldhaan saabamYet love itself becomes a curse
Male
Jaadhiyum thaan kanduLooking at caste differences
Jaadhagam kandaanaeChecking horoscope matches
Yaarodu avanukku kobamWho is he angry with?
Male
Idhu saami kobamoIs this the wrath of God?
Illai bhoomi saabamoOr is it the curse of the Earth?
Male
Raajaakkal kadhaiyellaamAll the stories of kings
Raththaththin varalaaruAre histories written in blood
Rojaakkal kadhaiyellaamAll the stories of roses
kanneerin varalaaruAre histories written in tears
Male
Uravukkum urimaikkumFor relationships and for rights
Yudhan ohoo….War, ohoo....
Ulagaththil adhudhaanae saththamThat alone is the sound heard in this world
Male
Udal enna uyir ennaWhat is the body? What is the soul?
Uravenna ulagennaWhat are relationships? What is the world?
Vidhiyenna vidaiyenna manamaeWhat is destiny, and what is the answer, Oh mind?
Male
Odum nadhiyellaam kadaloduAll running rivers merge into the sea
Udalellaam mannoduAll bodies merge into the soil
Uyir pogum idamengae manamaeWhere does the soul go, Oh mind?
Male
Theerana theeraananaTheerana theeraanana
theeranana theeranana theerananatheeranana theeranana theeranana
Male
Vaanaththil nee nindruStanding high up in the sky
Bhoomiyai nee paaruLook down at the Earth
Mannodu baedhangal illaiThe soil itself has no discriminations
Male
Kaadhalil baedhangalDiscriminations in love
Kaatchiyil baedhangalDiscriminations in perception
Manidhanthaan seigindra thollaiAre troubles created purely by humans
Male
Idhu poovin thottamaaIs this a garden of flowers?
Illai mullin koottamaaOr a cluster of thorns?
Male
Munnorgal sonnaargalThe elders said this
Adhu ondrum poiyyallaAnd it is not a lie at all
Maranaththai pol ingaeLike death, here in this world
Ver yedhum meiyyallaNothing else is the absolute truth
Male
Naan pogum vazhi kanduSeeing the path I take
Solla …ooohooo…To tell you... ooohooo...
Naan ondrumI am not at all
Sidharththan alla…A Siddhartha (Buddha)...
Male
Udal enna uyir ennaWhat is the body? What is the soul?
Uravenna ulagennaWhat are relationships? What is the world?
Vidhiyenna vidaiyenna manamaeWhat is destiny, and what is the answer, Oh mind?
Male
Odum nadhiyellaam kadaloduAll running rivers merge into the sea
Udalellaam mannoduAll bodies merge into the soil
Uyir pogum idamengae manamaeWhere does the soul go, Oh mind?
Male
Indha vaazhkkai vaadikkaiThis life is a routine habit
Idhu vaana vedikkaiIt is a firework display in the sky
Inbam thedi vaazhum jeevan ellamAll living beings searching for happiness
Thavikkudhu thudikkidhuSuffer and throb with pain
Male
Udal enna uyir ennaWhat is the body? What is the soul?
Uravenna ulagennaWhat are relationships? What is the world?
Vidhiyenna vidaiyenna manamaeWhat is destiny, and what is the answer, Oh mind?
Male
Odum nadhiyellaam kadaloduAll running rivers merge into the sea
Udalellaam mannoduAll bodies merge into the soil
Uyir pogum idamengae manamaeWhere does the soul go, Oh mind?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

"Udal Enna Uyir Enna" from the 1993 film Amaravathi is a deeply philosophical meditation on human existence, suffering, impermanence, and social divisions. The lyrics question the true meaning of life, body, soul, and destiny, comparing human existence to fleeting fireworks in the sky. Just as rivers eventually run into the ocean and bodies turn to dust, life is transient, yet human beings remain trapped in endless strife over caste, horoscopes, and social standing. The lyricist Vairamuthu highlights how literature exalts love, yet society turns love into a painful curse through arbitrary artificial barriers. Nature and earth make no distinctions among humans; it is human ego and narrow perception that create suffering. Concluding with the ultimate truth that death is the only absolute reality, the song leaves us with a poignant self-reflection that the speaker is no enlightened Buddha to liberate the world from its deep sorrow.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)

Udal enna uyir enna / Uravenna ulagenna

Repetition of initial vowel sounds across words in adjacent phrases creates rhythmic balance.

Metaphor

Indha vaazhkkai vaadikkai / Idhu vaana vedikkai

Life is explicitly compared to a sky-firework display (vaana vedikkai), highlighting its brief, loud, and fleeting nature.

Parallelism & Antithesis

Raajaakkal kadhaiyellaam raththaththin varalaaru / Rojaakkal kadhaiyellaam kanneerin varalaaru

Contrasting kings (power/war) with roses (beauty/fragility), equating royalty to history written in blood and roses to history written in tears.

Allusion (Mythological / Historical)

Naan ondrum Sidharththan alla…

Direct reference to Siddhartha (Prince Gautama before becoming Buddha) who abandoned worldly life to seek answers to suffering, acknowledging the speaker's own human limitations.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Amaravathi' (1993) marked the debut of actor Ajith Kumar as a lead protagonist in Tamil cinema, directed by Selva. The music for the film was composed by Bala Bharathi, with lyrics penned by Vairamuthu. This reflective song was rendered by legendary singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam (SPB) and serves as an influential narrative device underlying the emotional and social conflicts faced by the lead character.

Keep listening

More from Amaravathi