ఆచారానికి అంతం లేదు, అనాచారానికి ఆది లేదు.

acharaniki antam ledu, anacharaniki adi ledu.

Translation

There is no end to tradition, and no beginning to bad practices.

Meaning

This proverb highlights that customs and rituals can be expanded infinitely, while improper or uncultured behaviors have no traceable origin or foundation. It is often used to comment on how people constantly add new rules to traditions or how bad habits seem to exist without any rhyme or reason.

Related Phrases

There is no limit to purity, nor any beginning to impurity. Man is sinful from his birth, and never attains to perfect purity.

This proverb highlights that tradition and custom (Achara) can be endlessly elaborate with no final limit, while deviations or lack of tradition (Anachara) have no specific origin or defined structure. It is often used to suggest that one can get lost in the complexities of rituals or that improper conduct has existed forever without a clear starting point.

There is no end to the lies, and no worry for the lady.

This proverb is used to describe a person who continues to tell lies without any fear or remorse, or a situation where someone remains indifferent and unbothered despite a web of falsehoods being woven around them.

There is no limit to riches.

This expression refers to the infinite nature of human desire for wealth or the fact that there is no limit to how much riches one can accumulate. It is often used to emphasize that material prosperity is boundless, or conversely, that the pursuit of wealth can be never-ending and potentially unsatisfying.

Wealth has no end, and poverty has no beginning.

This proverb highlights the boundlessness of human experience. It suggests that there is no limit to how much wealth one can accumulate (or how much greed one can have), while poverty is a deep abyss where it is often impossible to pinpoint where the struggle truly started or where it might finally resolve. It is used to describe the infinite nature of prosperity and the cycle of deprivation.

There is no argument or dispute for sorrow

This expression is used to signify that there is no limit to grief or sadness, and it doesn't follow any specific logic or rules. It implies that when someone is in deep sorrow, there is no point in arguing with them or trying to measure the validity of their pain.

There is no end to traditions, and no beginning to non-traditions.

This proverb highlights that customs and traditions can be expanded indefinitely to the point of absurdity, while improper practices or lack of discipline can arise from anywhere without a clear origin. It is used to suggest that one should follow traditions within reasonable limits and avoid both extreme ritualism and complete lawlessness.

There is nothing that a drunkard will not say

This expression refers to the lack of inhibition and filter in a person under the influence of alcohol. It implies that a drunk person loses their sense of social norms, decency, or consequence, and might say anything regardless of how offensive or inappropriate it may be. It is used to caution others not to take a drunkard's words seriously or as a commentary on the loss of self-control caused by intoxication.

There is no end to disease, desire (music/attachment), and indulgence.

This proverb highlights the insatiable nature of three things: illnesses that can keep occurring, melodies or attachments (raga) that can be endless, and the pursuit of luxury or pleasure (bhoga) which never feels sufficient. It is used to suggest that one should practice moderation and detachment because these three aspects of life have no natural stopping point.

Science/Scriptures have no impurity; Sacrifice has no defilement.

This expression is used to suggest that pursuit of knowledge, higher duties, or sacred work transcends minor ritualistic or physical impurities. In a broader sense, it implies that when one is performing a great or necessary task, small flaws or trivial rules can be overlooked for the sake of the larger good.

Purity first and impurity after. Impurity always attends purity.

This proverb refers to hypocrisy or double standards. It describes a situation where someone publicly follows all religious or social customs strictly (outward display), but privately indulges in unethical or prohibited activities. It is used to criticize people who act righteous only when being watched.