- Lyricist
- Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass
- Singer
- P. Leela
- Music director
- S. Rajeswara Rao
- Movie name
- Mathar Kula Manickam
- Movie release year
- 1956
- Lyrics added on
- 5 Jun 2025
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This classic song expresses a devotee's profound, selfless love and surrender (Bhakti) towards Lord Krishna. The singer questions Krishna's evasive playfulness (Jaalam) and pleads for a single boon. Rather than desiring prominent honors—such as being Rukmani who experiences heavenly bliss, Satyabhama who enjoys loving squabbles, a grand crown on his head, or even the flute pressed to his lips—she seeks absolute humility at his feet. Her ultimate desire is to be a simple anklet adorning Krishna's lotus feet, constantly chiming with his movements. By resting at his divine feet, she hopes to attain the ultimate spiritual blessing: completely transcending her ego and forgetting her self-identity in pure divine consciousness.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Simile (Upamai)
“Inbamae koridum rukmani pol / Unadhu anbinil poridum sathiyabaamai pol”
Compares the protagonist's love to Krishna's famous consorts Rukmani and Satyabhama using the Tamil comparative marker 'pol' (like).
Metaphor (Uruvagam)
“Thamarai malar padham mel thavazhndhida”
Krishna's feet are directly metaphorized as divine 'lotus flowers' (Thamarai malar padham).
Monai (Initial Alliteration)
“Saaswadhamaai un kaalinil jallena / Sadhangai ondraai thonikka vendumae”
Repetition of the 'Sa' consonant sound at the beginning of consecutive lines ('Saaswadhamaai', 'Sadhangai').
Ethugai (Second-letter Rhyme)
“Inbamae koridum rukmani pol / Unadhu anbinil poridum sathiyabaamai pol”
Matching second consonant letter sound ('n' in Inbamae and Unadhu) across consecutive lines.
Did you know?
Trivia
1. 'Mathar Kula Manickam' (1956) was directed by T. Prakash Rao and featured A. Nageswara Rao, Anjali Devi, and Savitri in lead roles. It was simultaneously shot in Telugu as 'Charana Dasi'. 2. The music composer S. Rajeswara Rao was famous for infusing carnatic classical ragas seamlessly into film melodies, and P. Leela's soulful rendition made this song a evergreen devotional classic in Tamil cinema history. 3. The lyrics written by Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass beautifully blend mythological references (Rukmani, Satyabhama, Krishna's flute and crown) with Vaishnavite devotional poetry themes of absolute surrender (Saranagathi).
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