Ninaipadhellam Nadandhu Vittal

 Ninaipadhellam Nadandhu Vittal

Ninaippadhellam nadandhu vital 

Deiyvam edhumillai 

Nadandhadhaye ninaithirundhaal

Amaidhi engum illai 

Mudindha kadhai 

Thodarvadhillai Iraivan yaettinile 

Thodarndha kadhai mudivadhillai 

Manidhan veetinile 

If all that you think comes true, there’s no God

If you keep worrying about what’s happened, there’s no peace 

A story that’s finished doesn’t continue in God’s books 

A story that continues doesn’t end in Man’s house. 

Aayiram vaaasal idhayam 

Adhil aayiram ennangal udhayam 

Idhil yaaro varuvar yaaro iruppar 

Varuvadhum povadhum theriyadhu 

Oruvar mattum kudi irundhal

thunbam yedhumillai 

Ondrirukkak ondru vandhaal 

endrum amaidhi illai 

The thousand gated heart 

In it there are thousands of thoughts arise 

In it someone will come,

someone will stay 

No one knows who comes and who leaves 

If only one stays, there is no sorrow

If one comes in when someone is already there, 

then there is no peace

Enge vaazhkai thodangum 

Adhu enge evvidham mudiyum 

Idhu dhaan paadhai idhu dhaan payanam 

Enbadhu yaarukkumtheiryadhu 

Paadhai ellam maarividum 

Payanam mudindhu vidum 

Maaruvadhai purindhu kondal 

Mayakkam thelindhu vidum 

Where does life start?

Where does it end? 

Is this the path? 

Is this the journey? 

No one knows 

The paths will change

the journey will end

If you understand the change

the confusion will end (be clarified)

ezhu swarangalukkul enthanai paadal

 Yezhu swarangalukkul – a fantastic song, apparently done in five minutes. 

Yezhu swarangalukkul, ethanai paadal 

Idhaya surangathul ethanai kelvi 

Kaanum manidharukkul ethanai salanam 

Verum karpanai sandoshathil

avanadhu gavanam 

How many songs in seven notes

How many questions in the tunnel that’s one’s heart

How many temptations in the people you see

In empty imaginary pleasures lies his attention 

Kaalai ezhundha vudan 

naalaiya kelvi

Adhu kayyil kidaitha pinbum

Thudikkudhu aavi

Yaen endra klei ondru 

Endraikkum thangum

Manidhan inba thunbam edhilum

Kelvi than minjum

The moment you wake up in the morning

There is the question of tomorrow

When it (the answer) comes into your hand

Heart yearns for more

‘Why’ is a question that will linger forever

In every sorrow and happiness

Question is all that will remain

Yenakkaga nee azhalam iyarkail nadakkum 

Nee enakkaga unavu unna eppadi nadakkum

Namakendru boomiyile kadamaigal undu 

Adhai namakkaga nam kayyal seivadhu nandru 

You can cry on my behalf, it’s possible (in nature)

How can you eat for me? 

We all have our duties to perform 

It is best if we do

them ourselves with our hands

Aarambathil pirappum un kayil illai 

Pinbu aduthaduthu nadakkum, un kayil illai 

Paadhai vagutha pinbu bayanddhenna laabam

Adhil payanam nadhi vidu, maraindhidum paavam 

In the beginning, birth isn’t in your hands 

Then one thing happens after another, that’s not in your hands either

Once you’ve decided on a path, what’s the point in getting scared?

Walk that path and the sins will disappear

Naalai pozhudhondru undu adhu namakkena vaazhgha 

Adhai nadatha oruvanundu koilil kanga 

Velai pirakkum endru nambikkai kolga 

Endha

vedhanayum maarum megathai pole 

There is tomorrow, live in the belief that it’s for us

There’s someone to guide it, find Him in the temple 

Believe that your time will come 

Because every sorrow is like the shifting clouds

Vaazha ninaithaal vaazhalam

 Vaazha ninaithaal – (I like the first stanza of this song, so I’m skipping the second stanza) 

Vaazha ninaithaal vaazhalam 

Vazhiya illai boomiyil 

Aazha kadalum solai aagum

Aasai irundhal neendhi vaa 

If you want to live, you can 

Aren’t there ways on earth?

Even oceans will be like a garden

If you have the passion, swim and come.

Paarka therindhal paadhai theiryum 

Paarthu nadandhal payanum thodarum

Payanam thodarndhaal kadhavu thirakkum 

Kadhavu thirandhal kaatchi kidaikkum

Kaatchi kidaithaal kavalai theerum

Kavalai theerndhal vaazhalam 

If you know how to see, the path will become clear  (to walk)

If you walk carefully, the journey will continue 

If the journey continues, the door will open, 

When the door opens, what you seek will be there, 

When you find what you seek, worries will disappear 

When worries disappear, you can live.

Yaarada manidhan ange 

Yaarada manidhan ange 

Kootivaa avanai inge

Iraivan padaippil kurangu thaan meedhi inge 

Where is (the real) Man 

Bring him here

All that remains in God’s creation

Is the monkey

 Manidharil naaygal undu 

Manadhinil narigal undu 

Paarvaiyil puligal undu 

Pazhakkathil paambu undu 

Nayum, nariyum puliyum paambum 

Ulavum ulagathile 

Maanam, panbuu, nyayam konda 

Manidhanaikaanavillai 

In men, there are dogs, In hearts, there are foxes In eyes, there are tigers In

behaviour (relationships), there are snakes In a world of dogs, fox, tigers and

snakes. 

In all these there is no man with (qualities such as) (sense of) honour, justice, culture.

Sirippinil manidhanillai 

Azhgayil manidhan illai 

Ullathil mandihan illai

Urakkathil mandihan undu 

Vaazhum mirugam thoongum dheivam

Idaie manidhanada

 Engo avanum irundhal 

Ulagam vanagumada 

In laughter, Man isn’t

In tears, Man isn’t In

his heart, Man isn’t (surprise, you’d think otherwise here but that’s the twist)

In sleep, Man is. 

Living beast sleeping Divinity,

 In between is Man 

If he is to be found to be anywhere 

The world will worship him. 

Kannadasan's gems

I grew up with the comforting, encouraging, optimistic, uplifting,

inspirational, empathetic, humourous (among other adjectives) lyrics of

Kannadasan, the genius poet of the Tamil silver screen. Nothing was perfect for

a lift in the spirits like Mayakkama Kalakkama or Ninaipadhellam nadandhu vitaal

emanating from a teakadai radio, especially when you are coming back from a low

score in math. Or whatever was getting one down. Many a night at dinner, my

family members would sit around discussing the various aspects of his lyrics,

long after the dinner was despatched, (with hands almost drying, you didn’t want

to get up to something as pedestrian as washing hands lest you should miss out

on something). Here I’m attempting to translate some his songs that affected me

deeply (and still do), because I think his songs should reach even those who

don’t understand Tamil. While I’m aware of the limitations of translation as an

exercise, and the fact that it seldom does justice to the original, I hope to do

the best I can in presenting some of my favourite songs and their meanings. To

my limited knowledge, no body combined simplicity and profundity with such ease

and beauty. Kaviarasu, (meaning King of Poets), will always be that. Period. So

here goes.