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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Velodu Vilaiyadum

From Chitrangi · 1964

Lyricist
Ku. Ma. Balasubramaniam
Singer
P. Susheela
Music director
S. Vedhachalam
Details
Chitrangi1964

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Velodu vilaiyadum murugaiyaOh Lord Muruga, who plays with the spear!
Velodu vilaiyadum murugaiyaOh Lord Muruga, who plays with the spear!
En vaazhvodum vilaiyada vanthanaiyaHave you come to play with my life as well?
Velodu vilaiyadum murugaiyaOh Lord Muruga, who plays with the spear!
En vaazhvodum vilaiyada vanthanaiyaHave you come to play with my life as well?
Velodu vilaiyadum murugaiyaOh Lord Muruga, who plays with the spear!
Female
Kuravalli manamaalaithanai soodinaaiYou wore the wedding garland of Valli from the Kuravar tribe.
Dhevakulathodu inainthe ne uravaadinaaiYou united with the celestial clan and bonded with them.
Kuravalli manamaalaithanai soodinaaiYou wore the wedding garland of Valli from the Kuravar tribe.
Dhevakulathodu inainthe ne uravaadinaaiYou united with the celestial clan and bonded with them.
En kurai kandu enakintha nilai kaatinaaiSeeing my flaw, did you reduce me to this miserable state?
En kurai kandu enakintha nilai kaatinaaiSeeing my flaw, did you reduce me to this miserable state?
Ne kudi konda en nenjai yaen vaatinaaiWhy did you torment my heart where you yourself reside?
Ne kudi konda en nenjai yaen vaatinaaiWhy did you torment my heart where you yourself reside?
Female
Velodu vilaiyadum murugaiyaOh Lord Muruga, who plays with the spear!
Velodu vilaiyadum murugaiyaOh Lord Muruga, who plays with the spear!
En vaazhvodum vilaiyada vanthanaiyaHave you come to play with my life as well?
Velodu vilaiyadum murugaiyaOh Lord Muruga, who plays with the spear!
En vaazhvodum vilaiyada vanthanaiyaHave you come to play with my life as well?
Velodu vilaiyadum murugaiyaOh Lord Muruga, who plays with the spear!
Female
Uravu thantha ne pirivu thanthuHaving given me a bond, is it right to grant separation instead,
Manam uruga seinthal sariyaAnd make my heart melt in agony?
Iru uyir kalanthapin thunai izhantha penAfter two souls have merged into one, for a lonely woman without a companion,
ulagil vaazhthal muraiyaIs it fair to go on living in this world?
Naan manatha nathanai adainthu illaramReaching the lord of my heart to lead a joyful domestic life,
Magizhum kaalam varumaWill that blissful time ever come?
Vaazhvu malarum naalum varuma…varumaWill the day when my life blossoms ever come... ever come?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This emotional composition from the film Chitrangi (1964) is a heart-wrenching plea directed at Lord Muruga. The heroine laments her sorrowful state, drawing a contrast between Murugan's divine pastime of wielding his spear ('Vel') and his apparent decision to play with her life. She reminds the Lord of His divine mercy—how He embraced both Valli from the earthly tribal community and Devasena from the celestial realm—and questions why He has forsaken her. Overwhelmed by separation and grief, she asks why the deity torments the very heart in which He resides. She questions the justice of being separated from her beloved after two souls had united as one, desperately longing for a time when her life will blossom again into domestic happiness.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Ethirai (Second-Letter Rhyme) / Metaphor

Velodu vilaiyadum murugaiya / En vaazhvodum vilaiyada vanthanaiya

The word 'Velodu' (with spear) is paired with 'vaazhvodum' (with life) in adjacent lines, creating a second-letter rhyming pattern while drawing a metaphorical parallel between playing with a weapon and playing with a person's fate.

Iyaibu (End Rhyme)

Kuravalli manamaalaithanai soodinaai / Dhevakulathodu inainthe ne uravaadinaai

The lines end with the matching suffix 'soodinaai' and 'uravaadinaai', establishing a rhythmic and melodic flow.

Vina (Rhetorical Question)

Manam uruga seinthal sariya / ulagil vaazhthal muraiya

The lyricist uses rhetorical questions like 'sariya' (is it right?) and 'muraiya' (is it fair?) to emphasize the heroine's intense helplessness and moral questioning of fate.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by S. Vedhachalam with lyrics by Ku. Ma. Balasubramaniam, 'Velodu Vilaiyadum Murugaiya' is one of singer P. Susheela's most expressive classical Tamil film songs. The song beautifully blends classical Carnatic musical phrasing with narrative emotion, expressing 'Nindastuthi'—a poetic style in South Indian devotion where the devotee lovingly reproaches the deity.

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