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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Yedhukku Ithanai

From Sarangathara · 1958

Lyricist
A. Maruthakasi
Singer
Radha Jayalakshmi
Music director
G. Ramanathan
Details
Sarangathara1958

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Yedhukkuithanai modi thanWhy so much indifference and feigned anger,
Umakku endhan meedhaiyaaDo you hold towards me, O Lord?
Yedhukkuithanai modi thanWhy so much indifference and feigned anger,
Umakku endhan meedhaiyaaDo you hold towards me, O Lord?
Aiyaa yedhukkuithanai modi thanO Master, why so much indifference and feigned anger,
Umakku endhan meedhaiyaaDo you hold towards me, O Lord?
Aiyaa yedhukkuithanai modi thanO Master, why so much indifference and feigned anger,
Umakku endhan meedhaiyaaDo you hold towards me, O Lord?
Paadhi piraiyai sadaiyil thirithaThe one who adorned his matted locks with the crescent moon,
ParamaneO Supreme Lord,
Paadhi piraiyai sadaiyil thirithaThe one who adorned his matted locks with the crescent moon,
Paramane thillaipadhi nadaesareO Supreme Lord, Nataraja, Lord of Thillai!
Yedhukkuithanai modi thanWhy so much indifference and feigned anger,
Umakku endhan meedhaiyaaDo you hold towards me, O Lord?
Female
Aattu kaaleduthambalathil nindreerDid I say you stood in the sacred hall with a raised dancing foot,
Adhanai sonnenaenooDid I ever utter such a thing?
Swaami aattu kaaleduthambalathil nindreerLord, did I say you stood in the sacred hall with a raised dancing foot,
Adhanai sonnenaenooDid I ever utter such a thing?
Ottrai mattu kaaran endru yaaroduraayinumDid I go around telling anyone that you own only a single bull,
Vaai padham sonnenaenooDid I speak such words with my mouth?
Ottrai mattu kaaran endru yaaroduraayinumDid I go around telling anyone that you own only a single bull,
Vaai padham sonnenaenooDid I speak such words with my mouth?
Female
Thalai ottile irandhum veeriyam thandhaDid I reveal the truth about how you begged for food using a skull,
Unmaiyai sonnenaenooDid I speak that truth?
Thalai ottile irandhum veeriyam thandhaDid I reveal the truth about how you begged for food using a skull,
Unmaiyai sonnenaenooDid I speak that truth?
Kannai kaatti muppuramthaan munnae nindraDid I recount how you destroyed the three cities just with a glance,
Kadhaiyum vettri kondathaiyum sonnenaenooOr tell the story of your victory?
Yedhukkuithanai modi thanWhy so much indifference and feigned anger,
Umakku endhan meedhaiyaaDo you hold towards me, O Lord?
Female
Jaathiyum thaayum thagappanum illaadhaDid I call you a lonely destitute,
Thaniyan endraenooWho has no caste, no mother, and no father?
Jaathiyum thaayum thagappanum illaadhaDid I call you a lonely destitute,
Thaniyan endraenooWho has no caste, no mother, and no father?
Pennil paadhi udambaagi kazhum sumandhittaDid I say you shared half your body with a woman and carried a trident,
Paraiyar endraenooCalling you a low-caste wanderer?
Pennil paadhi udambaagi kazhum sumandhittaDid I say you shared half your body with a woman and carried a trident,
Paraiyar endraenooCalling you a low-caste wanderer?
Female
Jaadhi baedhamaai pillaikku kuravar veettilDid I say that ignoring caste barriers, you got a bride for your son from a Kuravar household,
Penn kondeer endraenooDid I say you accepted that maiden?
Jaadhi baedhamaai pillaikku kuravar veettilDid I say that ignoring caste barriers, you got a bride for your son from a Kuravar household,
Penn kondeer endraenooDid I say you accepted that maiden?
Marai oodhi vanangum nadaesare ummai naanO Lord Nataraja, worshiped through the chanting of the sacred Vedas, to you,
Marai oodhi vanangum nadaesare ummai naanO Lord Nataraja, worshiped through the chanting of the sacred Vedas, to you,
Eppodhum illaadha thippili endraenooDid I insult you as someone worthless and unheard of?
Yedhukkuithanai modi thanWhy so much indifference and feigned anger,
Umakku endhan meedhaiyaaDo you hold towards me, O Lord?
Female
Azhundhave piramppadi patta kooliyaalarDid I call you a mere laborer who got hit with a cane stick,
EndraenooDid I say so?
Azhundhave piramppadi patta kooliyaalarDid I call you a mere laborer who got hit with a cane stick,
EndraenooDid I say so?
Sasikazhindha vellelum panidhaDid I describe you as one wearing white bones and serpent ornaments,
Pathiyaaaaran endraenooCalling you a mere snake-charmer?
Sasikazhindha vellelum panidhaDid I describe you as one wearing white bones and serpent ornaments,
Pathiyaaaaran endraenooCalling you a mere snake-charmer?
Female
Katta pazhanthuniyindri tholuduthaDid I mock you for wearing animal skin without even an old piece of cloth to tie,
Andha haa…aaa..Ah...
Katta pazhanthuniyndri tholuduthaDid I mock you for wearing animal skin without even an old piece of cloth to tie,
Andha pazhipadham yaenoWhy bestow this blame on me?
Siru kuzhandhaiyai kolla aandiyaai vandhaDid I expose all your secret faults,
Kuttayellaam velivittu sonnenaenooLike coming disguised as a mendicant to kill a little child?
Siru kuzhandhaiyai kolla aandiyaai vandhaDid I expose all your secret faults,
Kuttayellaam velivittu sonnenaenooLike coming disguised as a mendicant to kill a little child?
Yedhukkuithanai modi thanWhy so much indifference and feigned anger,
Umakku endhan meedhaiyaaDo you hold towards me, O Lord?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song is a classic example of 'Nindastuthi'—a traditional poetic device in Indian classical art and devotion where the devotee praises the deity under the guise of apparent blame, mockery, or complaint. The singer asks Lord Nataraja of Chidambaram (Thillai) why he displays such coldness or feigned anger towards her, playfully questioning if she accidentally offended him by speaking of his famous unconventional acts and mythical quirks. Throughout the lyrics, she lists sacred legends of Shiva—begging with a skull bowl, riding a single bull (Nandi), taking a bride from the Kurava tribe for his son Murugan, sharing half his body with Parvati (Ardhanarishvara), taking cane blows as a humble laborer carrying sand in Madurai, and wearing animal skins and snakes. Far from insulting the deity, these teasing rhetorical questions celebrate Lord Shiva's divine humility, transcendence over caste and social norms, and his infinite love for his devotees.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Nindastuthi (Allegorical Blame as Praise)

Jaathiyum thaayum thagappanum illaadha Thaniyan endraenoo

A major poetic figure in Indian devotional literature where apparent insults (calling Shiva family-less or a beggar) actually highlight his absolute, uncreated, and supreme divine nature.

Rhetorical Questioning (Anaphora)

Adhanai sonnenaenoo / Vaai padham sonnenaenoo

The repeated ending of lines with 'endraenoo' and 'sonnenaenoo' ('Did I say so?') builds emotional rhythm and underlines the playful innocence of the devotee.

Ethugai (Second-letter Rhyme)

Paadhi piraiyai / Paramane thillaipadhi

The second consonant 'dhi' matches in both line segments ('Paadhi' and 'Thillaipadhi'), creating harmony in classical Tamil prosody.

Monai (First-letter Alliteration)

Marai oodhi vanangum nadaesare ummai naan... Eppodhum illaadha thippili endraenoo

Alliteration and complementary sound matching across rhythmic phrases accentuating the Carnatic classical tempo.

Did you know?

Trivia

This composition from the 1958 movie 'Sarangathara' (starring Sivaji Ganesan and P. Bhanumathi) features music composed by the legendary G. Ramanathan and is rendered in a classical Carnatic style by Radha Jayalakshmi. The lyrics, penned by A. Maruthakasi, draw heavily upon traditional South Indian Carnatic Nindastuthi compositions (similar to the famous works of Marimutha Pillai and Anai-Ayya) which are prominently featured in classical Bharatanatyam dance performances.

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