అపకారికయినా ఉపకారమే చేయవలెను

apakarikayina upakarame cheyavalenu

Translation

You should do good even to him who has done you evil. " If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink." Proverbs xxv. 21.

Meaning

This proverb emphasizes the virtue of forgiveness and kindness. It teaches that even if someone does you wrong or acts as an enemy, you should respond with goodness and help rather than seeking revenge or harboring ill will. It is the Telugu equivalent of 'return good for evil.'

Notes

* Σενίων δὲ τε Θυμος ἀριστος.

Related Phrases

Some things must be hidden even from the mother that bore you.

This proverb emphasizes the importance of maintaining certain boundaries, privacy, or modesty even with those closest to us. It suggests that complete exposure or lack of restraint, even in the most intimate relationships, can lead to a loss of respect or dignity.

* Ἀπέφαλος μῦθος.

Like harm following a gesture of help

This proverb is used when a person's attempt to do a good deed or help someone results in unexpected negative consequences or trouble for themselves. It describes situations where kindness is met with ingratitude or accidental misfortune.

Anger is a cause of sin.

This expression highlights that anger often leads people to commit wrongful or sinful acts that they might later regret. It is used as a piece of advice to encourage self-control and emotional regulation, suggesting that one should stay calm to avoid negative consequences.

Anger is a sworn enemy. Anger is the fever and frenzy of the soul.

Immediately after doing good, I received an ill return. Base ingratitude.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone's attempt to help or do a good deed backfires, resulting in trouble or an ungrateful response from the recipient. It is similar to the English saying 'No good deed goes unpunished.'

After the whole body is wet even an invalid does not feel the cold. _ 2669. కక్కిన కూటికి ఆశించరాదు. You should not wish for food thrown up. Don't wish to get back what you have given away.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where once a person is fully committed to a difficult or risky task, or is already deep in trouble, they lose their initial fear or hesitation. It suggests that after crossing a certain point of no return, one becomes indifferent to further challenges or consequences.

Like receiving harm when going to do a favor.

This expression is used when a person's good intentions or helpful actions result in an unexpected negative outcome or trouble for themselves. It describes a situation where someone tries to help others but ends up being blamed, criticized, or harmed in return.

His attempt to make [an image of] Ganêśa ended in [the moulding of] a monkey. Mud images of Ganêśa are made and worshipped on the 4th day of the light fortnight in the month Bhâdrapada (August—September). A ridiculous failure.

This proverb describes a situation where one's well-intentioned efforts or ambitious plans go wrong, resulting in a ridiculous or unintended outcome. It is used when someone tries to improve something or create something great but ends up making it worse or spoiling it completely due to lack of skill or poor execution.

Is feeding one's wife a benefit to the village ?

This proverb is used to criticize people who claim credit for fulfilling their basic, mandatory personal or family responsibilities as if they are doing a great service to society. It highlights that taking care of one's own household is a duty, not a public act of charity.

One should do good even to those who have done harm.

This proverb emphasizes the virtue of forgiveness and kindness. It suggests that instead of seeking revenge against those who hurt us, we should maintain our integrity and respond with helpfulness or benevolence.

Who has done any harm to the scorpion?

This expression is used to highlight the innate nature of some people or creatures to cause harm even without provocation. Just as a scorpion stings naturally without being provoked, some individuals exhibit malicious behavior regardless of how others treat them. It serves as a rhetorical question to suggest that bad behavior is often a result of one's character rather than a reaction to external injury.