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Aaytha Ezhuthu album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Yaakai Thiri

From Aaytha Ezhuthu · 2004

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singers
A. R. Rahman, Sunitha Sarathy
Music director
A. R. Rahman
Movie name
Aaytha Ezhuthu
Movie release year
2004
Lyrics added on
26 Aug 2018

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Fanaaa fanaaa….
Fanaaa fanaaa….
Fanaaa fanaaa …
Fanaaa fanaaa….
Yaakkai thiri
Kaadhal sudar
Male :Anbae
Chorus :Jeevan nadhi
Kaadhal kadal
Male :Nenjae
Piravi pizhai
Kaadhal thirutham nenjae
Female :Aaaa…aaa….aa..
Male :Irudhayam kal
Kaadhal sirpam anbae
Yaakkai thiri
Kaadhal sudar
Male :Fanaaa aa….
Thoduvom thodarvom
Padarvom maravom thuravom
Male :Fanaaa aa….
Female :Thoduvom thodarvom
Padarvom maravom iravom
Male :Fanaaa aa….
Female :Thoduvom thodarvom
Padarvom maravom uravom
Jenmam vidhai
Kaadhal pazham
Logam dhvaitham
Kaadhal advaitham
Sarmam soonyam
Kaadhal pinniyam
Maanudam maayam
Kaadhal amaram
Ulagathin kaadhal ellaam
Ondrae ondrae adhu
Ullangal maari maari
Payanam pogum
Yaakkai thiri
Kaadhal sudar
Male :Anbae
Chorus :Jeevan nadhi
Kaadhal kadal
Male :Nenjae
Piravi pizhai
Kaadhal thirutham nenjae
Female :Aaaa…aaa….aa..
Male :Irudhayam kal
Kaadhal sirpam anbae
Yaakkai thiri
Kaadhal sudar
Male :Fanaaa fanaaa….
Thoduvom thodarvom
Padarvom maravom thuravom
Male :Fanaaa aa….
Female :Thoduvom thodarvom
Padarvom maravom iravom
Male :Fanaaa aa….
Female :Thoduvom thodarvom
Padarvom maravom uravom
Male :Fanaaa aa….
Female :Thoduvom thodarvom
Padarvom maravom iravom
Male :Fanaaa aa….
Sapa mapa mapa mapa mapa
Mapa ni nee paa mapa
Sapa mapa mapa mapa
Ga ma sa ga ri
Mapa mapa mapa mapa
Ri ri ga pa fa saa
Panidhapa ma ga ri sa
Yeyo yeyo yeyo yeyo
Yeyo yeyo yeyo
Male : Fanaaah
Nee nee sasa nee nee sasa
Pa gi ri pa pa gi ri pa
Pa gi ri pa ri pa gi ri paa
Pa gi ri pa pa gi ri pa
Saa saa ga ma saa ga ma
Saa ga ma saa ga ma saa
Female :Yeyo yeyo yeyo yeyo
Yeyo yeyo yeyo
Aaaa aaa aaaaa aaaaa
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
{Thoduvom thodarvom
Padarvom maravom thuravom
Male :Nee nee sasa nee nee sasa
Ga ga sasa
Female :Thoduvom thodarvom
Padarvom maravom iravom
Male :Nee nee sasa nee nee sasa
Ga ga sasa
Female :Thoduvom thodarvom
Padarvom maravom uravom
Male :Nee nee sasa nee nee sasa
Ga ga sasa} (2)
Fanaaa fanaaa….
Fanaa, fanaa...
Fanaa, fanaa...
Fanaa, fanaa...
Fanaa, fanaa...
The body is the wick,
Love is the flame,
Male: My love!
Chorus: Life is a river,
Love is the ocean,
Male: O my heart!
Birth is a mistake,
Love is its correction, my heart!
Female: Aah... aah... ah...
Male: The heart is a stone,
Love is the sculpture, my love!
The body is the wick,
Love is the flame.
Male: Fanaa, ah...
We will touch, we will follow,
We will spread, we will lose ourselves, we will let go.
Male: Fanaa, ah...
Female: We will touch, we will follow,
We will spread, we will lose ourselves, we will never die.
Male: Fanaa, ah...
Female: We will touch, we will follow,
We will spread, we will lose ourselves, we will become one.
A lifetime is the seed,
Love is the fruit.
The world is duality,
Love is oneness.
The flesh is nothingness,
Love is a sacred blessing.
Human life is an illusion,
Love is immortal.
All the love across the world
Is only one single truth;
Passing from heart to heart,
It journeys on.
The body is the wick,
Love is the flame,
Male: My love!
Chorus: Life is a river,
Love is the ocean,
Male: O my heart!
Birth is a mistake,
Love is its correction, my heart!
Female: Aah... aah... ah...
Male: The heart is a stone,
Love is the sculpture, my love!
The body is the wick,
Love is the flame.
Male: Fanaa, fanaa...
We will touch, we will follow,
We will spread, we will lose ourselves, we will let go.
Male: Fanaa, ah...
Female: We will touch, we will follow,
We will spread, we will lose ourselves, we will never die.
Male: Fanaa, ah...
Female: We will touch, we will follow,
We will spread, we will lose ourselves, we will become one.
Male: Fanaa, ah...
Female: We will touch, we will follow,
We will spread, we will lose ourselves, we will never die.
Male: Fanaa, ah...
Sa Pa Ma Pa Ma Pa Ma Pa Ma Pa
Ma Pa Ni Nee Paa Ma Pa
Sa Pa Ma Pa Ma Pa Ma Pa
Ga Ma Sa Ga Ri
Ma Pa Ma Pa Ma Pa Ma Pa
Ri Ri Ga Pa Fa Saa
Pa Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Ri Sa
Ey-yo, ey-yo, ey-yo, ey-yo
Ey-yo, ey-yo, ey-yo
Male: Fanaa!
Nee Nee Sa Sa Nee Nee Sa Sa
Pa Gi Ri Pa Pa Gi Ri Pa
Pa Gi Ri Pa Ri Pa Gi Ri Paa
Pa Gi Ri Pa Pa Gi Ri Pa
Saa Saa Ga Ma Saa Ga Ma
Saa Ga Ma Saa Ga Ma Saa
Female: Ey-yo, ey-yo, ey-yo, ey-yo
Ey-yo, ey-yo, ey-yo
Aaa aa aaaa aaaa
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
{ We will touch, we will follow,
We will spread, we will lose ourselves, we will let go,
Male: Nee Nee Sa Sa Nee Nee Sa Sa
Ga Ga Sa Sa
Female: We will touch, we will follow,
We will spread, we will lose ourselves, we will never die,
Male: Nee Nee Sa Sa Nee Nee Sa Sa
Ga Ga Sa Sa
Female: We will touch, we will follow,
We will spread, we will lose ourselves, we will become one,
Male: Nee Nee Sa Sa Nee Nee Sa Sa
Ga Ga Sa Sa } (2)
Fanaa, fanaa...
Male
Chorus
Male
Chorus
Female
Female
Chorus
Chorus
Male
Chorus
Female
Male
Female
Male
Male
Female
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

'Yaakkai Thiri' is a high-energy, philosophically charged track from Mani Ratnam's 2004 political drama 'Aaytha Ezhuthu', composed by A.R. Rahman with lyrics by Vairamuthu. The song explores the Sufi concept of 'Fanaa' (dissolution/immersion in passion) alongside Advaita philosophy. It portrays the physical body as merely a temporary vessel or wick ('Yaakkai thiri') while love is the eternal light or flame ('Kaadhal sudar') that outlasts individual human lives.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Yaakkai thiri / Kaadhal sudar

Compares human body ('Yaakkai') directly to a lamp wick ('thiri') and love ('Kaadhal') to the flame/light ('sudar').

Muran (Antithesis)

Logam dhvaitham / Kaadhal advaitham

Contrasts the dualistic nature of the physical world ('Dhvaitham') with the non-dualistic, unifying nature of love ('Advaitham').

Iyaipu (Rhyming end words)

Thoduvom thodarvom / Padarvom maravom thuravom

Employs matching suffixes ('-om') across consecutive verbs to create a rhythmic, chant-like effect.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by A.R. Rahman and sung by A.R. Rahman, Karthik, Sunitha Sarathy, and Tanvi Shah, the song integrates the Sufi term 'Fanaa' into Tamil film music lyrics. The Hindi counterpart of the film, 'Yuva', features 'Fanaa' sung by A.R. Rahman and Sunitha Sarathy with lyrics by Mehboob.

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