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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Virunthagum Isai

From Kuzhanthaigal Kanda Kudiyarasu · 1960

Lyricist
Ku. Ma. Balasubramaniam
Singer
Seerkazhi Govindarajan
Music director
T. G. Lingappa
Movie name
Kuzhanthaigal Kanda Kudiyarasu
Movie release year
1960
Lyrics added on
8 Mar 2024

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Virunthaagum isai amudham
Virunthaagum isai amudham
Amara virunthaagum isai amudham
Kanindha naruthaen enum raagamudan
Arumarundhaana layam kalandhu arundhum
Virunthaagum isai amudham
Navarasamaagiya..haaa..aaa..aaa..aaa
Navarasamaagiya kanirasa madhuoorum
Navarasamaagiya kanirasa madhuoorum
Kavi nayam kettida kanma vinai theerum
Kavi nayam kettida kanma vinai theerum
Suvai migundha sevi kulirndha sendhamizh
Sollai paruga ulla nilai maarum
Virunthaagum isai amudham
Kanindha naruthaen enum raagamudan
Arumarundhaana layam kalandhu arundhum
Virunthaagum isai amudham
Paal manam maaratha paalagarum
Perum padaikalanga seerum naagangalum
Gnyaalathai veruthidum gyaanigalum
Padu naasangalae seiyum paavigalum
Unna sirandhu ullam niraindhu
Thanai marandha nilayadainthu inburum
Virunthaagum isai amudham
Virunthaagum isai amudham
Virunthaagum isai amudham
Virunthaagum isai amudham
The nectar of music is a feast
The nectar of music is a feast
The nectar of music is a divine feast
With melody sweet as ripe, fragrant honey
Blended with rhythm like precious medicine, to drink—
The nectar of music is a feast!
Filled with the nine emotions... ha... aa...
Flowing with the sweet juice of the nine emotions
Flowing with the sweet juice of the nine emotions
Hearing the beauty of its poetry clears away past sins
Hearing the beauty of its poetry clears away past sins
Rich in sweetness, soothing to the ears, in pure Tamil
Drinking in its words transforms the inner soul
The nectar of music is a feast
With melody sweet as ripe, fragrant honey
Blended with rhythm like precious medicine, to drink—
The nectar of music is a feast!
Little babies who still smell of milk
Hissing serpents that make mighty armies tremble
Wise sages who have turned away from worldly life
And wicked sinners who cause utter ruin—
Feasting on it, their hearts are filled
Forgetting themselves, they find supreme joy in
The nectar of music, a grand feast!
The nectar of music is a feast
The nectar of music is a feast
The nectar of music is a feast
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Virunthaagum Isai Amudham from the 1960 movie Kuzhanthaigal Kanda Kudiyarasu is a classical celebration of the transcendent, therapeutic power of music and Tamil poetry. Rendering with grand vocal resonance by Seerkazhi Govindarajan and composed by T. G. Lingappa, the song metaphorically likens music to a celestial feast of nectar infused with sweet honey-like ragas and rhythm that acts as a soul-healing medicine. Ku. Ma. Balasubramaniam's lyrics describe how drinking the sweet, ear-cooling words of classical Tamil imbued with the nine emotional rasas can dissolve past karma and alter one's consciousness. The song echoes the traditional adage that music universally entrances all beings—captivating innocent infants, deadly cobras, worldly-detached sages, and wicked sinners alike into a state of selfless bliss.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Uruvagam (Metaphor)

Kanindha naruthaen enum raagamudan / Arumarundhaana layam

Music is metaphorically equated to divine nectar (Isai Amudham), ragas to ripe honey (Naruthaen enum raagam), and rhythm to precious medicine (Arumarundhaana layam).

Auditory and Gustatory Imagery

Suvai migundha sevi kulirndha sendhamizh / Sollai paruga ulla nilai maarum

The lyricist blends senses by describing the act of 'drinking' ear-pleasing classical Tamil words (sevi kulirndha sendhamizh sollai paruga).

Monai (Initial Alliteration / Harmony)

Paal manam maaratha paalagarum / Perum padaikalanga seerum naagangalum

Repetition of consonant sounds across lines (Paalagarum, Padaikalanga, Paavigalum) creates a rhythmic, musical structure.

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Trivia

This song creatively articulates the ancient Indian Sanskrit aesthetic principle 'Shishur vetti pashur vetti vetti ganarasam phani' (Music is enjoyed by infants, animals, and cobras) by listing children, cobras, sages, and sinners as being equally entranced by divine melody. Kuzhanthaigal Kanda Kudiyarasu (1960) was a prominent children's fantasy film directed by K. B. Nagabhushanam.

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