అదేపోతగాడు, ఎదురుమాటలవాడు, కంబంచాటుగాడు.

When someone is truly hungry, they don't care about the taste or quality of the food; they just want to eat. Similarly, when someone is exhausted and needs sleep, they don't care about the comfort or luxury of the bed; they can sleep anywhere. This expression is used to highlight that basic survival needs override preferences or luxuries.

This proverb is used to warn against relying on false hopes or deceptive appearances. Just as a swelling (goiter) on the neck cannot serve as a comfortable pillow despite its shape, a dream cannot be treated as reality. It emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between painful burdens and actual comforts, as well as between fantasy and facts.

This proverb describes how extreme circumstances change human behavior. A person who is starving or in desperate poverty loses their sense of shame because survival becomes their only priority. Conversely, a person who is blinded by wealth, power, or arrogance often ignores social boundaries, ethics, and family ties (kinship). It is used to comment on how desperation and vanity can both erode a person's character.

This is a humorous proverb or riddle describing useless or lazy subordinates. It is used to mock a situation where a leader is surrounded by incompetent people: one who ignores instructions, one who avoids work by hiding, and one who simply disappears when needed.

This proverb highlights two relentless or indifferent states. Just as a blind person cannot perceive the quality or beauty of something, a moneylender or the concept of interest (interest on debt) is indifferent to the struggles of the debtor and only cares about accumulation. It is used to describe situations where someone acts without empathy or when a burden keeps growing regardless of the circumstances.

This proverb highlights the difference between imagination and reality, or between a useless imitation and the actual object. Just as one cannot use a painful swelling or tumor as a comfortable pillow despite its appearance, one cannot rely on dreams or illusions as solid truths or facts.

This is a riddle describing the three main functions of a human being: The pillar-hider is the body (which stays in one place), the one who goes is the breath (inhaling and exhaling), and the one who never returns once gone is the life force or soul (Atma). It is used in philosophical or spiritual contexts to reflect on the transient nature of life.

This proverb highlights how basic instincts and strong emotions override physical conditions or social norms. When a person is extremely hungry, they don't care about the taste of the food; when extremely tired, they don't need a soft bed; and when in love, they lose their sense of inhibition or shame.

This is a traditional riddle (podupu katha) describing the process of a human birth and death. It refers to the father (pillar), the child (coming into the world), and the soul or life breath (which never returns once it leaves). It is used to describe the cycle of life and the transience of human existence.

This expression is used to describe a stressful situation where a person works for a boss who is extremely restless, impatient, or hurried. It implies that the worker is constantly hounded or pressured because the person in charge lacks patience and expects everything to be done instantly.