- Lyricist
- T. N. Rajappa
- Singer
- A. P. Komala
- Music director
- T. R. Pappa
- Movie name
- Athma Shanthi
- Movie release year
- 1952
- Lyrics added on
- 19 Nov 2020
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
Veenaasai Yen Manamae from the 1952 film Athma Shanthi expresses a profound sense of melancholy and philosophical introspection regarding human life and worldly attachments. Addressing the speaker's own mind, the song questions the futility of clinging to earthly desires when existence seems predominantly filled with suffering. Worldly love is portrayed as a beautiful yet brief rainbow, and human affection is dismissed as an elusive mirage in the desert. The lyricist deepens the existential crisis by drawing upon classical Tamil philosophical metaphors, questioning if humans are doomed to live meaningless lives like broken needles or fall helplessly like uprooted banana trees, ultimately lamenting the tragic downfall of fools who fail to realize the temporary nature of mortal existence.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Simile (Upamai)
“Vaiyathil kaadhal vaanavillae”
Compares earthly love to a rainbow, emphasizing its temporary and fleeting beauty.
Metaphor (Uruvagam)
“Vaanjaiellam verum kaanal neerae”
Compares human affection directly to a mirage (kaanal neer), highlighting its deceptive nature.
Philosophical Allusion & Simile (Upamai)
“Kaadhattra oosi pol vaazhvadho..”
Compares a useless, ruined existence to an eyeless needle, referencing saint Pattinathar's famous quote about the vanity of material goods.
Alliteration (Moonaai)
“Veenaasai yen manamae / Vaedhanaiyae jeevidhamae”
The initial 'Va' / 'Ve' sound creates a rhythmic sound motif reflecting despair.
Did you know?
Trivia
The imagery of 'Kaadhattra Oosi' (eyeless needle) is a classic Tamil philosophical trope famously coined by the 10th-century saint Pattinathar ('Kaadhattrus oosiyum vaaraadhu kaan kadaivazhikke'), teaching that not even a broken, eye-less needle accompanies a soul after death. Athma Shanthi (1952) was a early post-independence drama film whose soundtrack prominently featured existential philosophical numbers.
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