And somewhere in Kanchipuram, the old priest Venkataraman—now long gone—would smile from the stars, hearing his mother Kamakshi whisper back in Telugu:
In the temple town of Kanchipuram, where the air hums with the scent of jasmine and camphor, lived an old priest named Venkataraman. His voice, though cracked with age, held a power that made even the stone deities lean in to listen. Every evening, he would sit on the steps of the Sri Kamakshi Amman Temple and chant something unique: the Kamakshi Virutham in Telugu. kamakshi virutham lyrics in telugu
Years later, when Meena became a classical musician, she didn’t open her concerts with formal Sanskrit hymns. She began with the Kamakshi Virutham in Telugu . And every time she chanted: "Neeve gati, neeve gati, Kamakshi! Vere gati evarura amma?" (You alone are my refuge, you alone. Is there any other refuge, O Mother?) Years later, when Meena became a classical musician,
Venkataraman smiled, his eyes twinkling. "Child, the Kamakshi Virutham in Telugu is not a textbook hymn. It was composed centuries ago by a devotee who could not speak Sanskrit. He spoke Telugu, the language of his heart. He asked the Goddess: 'Why should I pray in a language you gave to others? I will pray to you in the language you gave to me.' " Vere gati evarura amma
This wasn’t the Sanskrit slokas everyone else recited. This was Virutham —a lyrical, free-flowing poetic outpouring, where meter gave way to raw devotion. In Telugu, the language of the masses, the Virutham painted Goddess Kamakshi not as a distant cosmic queen, but as a loving mother, a playful girl, and a fierce protector.
Tears welled in Meena’s eyes. The lyrics were so simple, yet so deep. She approached the priest after his chant. "Sir," she asked, "what are these words? They feel like a hug."
That night, Meena wrote down the lyrics from memory. She began chanting them every day. The Kamakshi Virutham became her bridge—from a mechanical devotee to a daughter who truly spoke to her Mother.
