బంగారమంటి కోమటి సంగీతము మరిగి బేరసారము లుడిగెన్

bangaramanti komati sangitamu marigi berasaramu ludigen

Translation

A merchant like gold, once addicted to music, let his business suffer.

Meaning

This proverb describes a situation where someone neglects their primary duties or professional responsibilities due to a new distraction or obsession. It is used to caution people about how even the most reliable or skilled individuals (like a 'golden' merchant) can face ruin if they lose focus on their core work.

Related Phrases

You get gold out of earth and earth out of gold. i. e. you buy land with money.

This proverb highlights the unpredictable nature of luck and timing. It suggests that when one is going through a fortunate period, even a worthless effort (mud) turns into wealth (gold), but during an unfortunate period, even a valuable investment (gold) can turn into a loss (mud). It is often used to describe the irony of success and failure.

A merchant's testimony

This expression is used to describe a statement or evidence that is intentionally vague, non-committal, or deceptive. Just as a merchant might avoid taking a firm side to protect their business interests, 'Komati Sakshyam' refers to a testimony where the speaker avoids giving a direct answer or tries to please both parties without revealing the truth.

A Kômaṭi's evidence. A story is told of a Kômaṭi who, when asked to identify a horse about which a Mussalman and Hindu were quarrelling, said the forepart of it looked like the Mussalman's horse and the hindpart like the Hindu's.

This expression refers to a statement or testimony that is ambiguous, non-committal, or clever enough to avoid taking a definitive side. It is used to describe a situation where someone speaks in a way that protects their own interests while technically answering a question, often leaving the listener in confusion.

Like bargaining for silver and asking for gold as a free bonus.

This proverb describes someone making an unreasonable or absurd request. It refers to a situation where a person, while negotiating for something of lesser value (silver), asks for something of significantly higher value (gold) for free or as a small extra. It is used to mock people who lack a sense of proportion or reality in their demands.

The decoration is proportional to the gold available.

This proverb means that the quality or extent of a result depends on the resources or effort invested. It is used to describe situations where you get exactly what you pay for, or where the outcome is limited by the budget or materials provided.

As impossible as that a Kômaṭi who would not give away a bit of turmeric should allow his whole store to be plundered.

This proverb describes a person who is extremely stingy over small things but ends up suffering a massive loss due to that very greed or lack of foresight. It is used to critique someone who tries to save pennies while losing pounds, or whose stubbornness over a trivial matter leads to a total catastrophe.

Why would Singadu deal in the cotton trade?

This proverb is used to describe someone who involves themselves in a business or task they have absolutely no knowledge, skill, or relevance to. It highlights the mismatch between a person's nature and the work they are attempting to do.

If you listen to the song [in praise] of Kûnalamma, there is no merit; and if you don't listen to it, there is no sin. Kûnalamma is the goddess said to preside over children.

This expression is used to describe something that is completely inconsequential or trivial. It refers to an action or a piece of information that has no positive impact if accepted and no negative impact if ignored. It is often used to dismiss worthless talk or irrelevant activities.

The Jangama's rhythm and the Dasari's music

This expression refers to a situation where two different people or groups are working together in an uncoordinated, chaotic, or mismatched manner. It is used to describe a lack of synchronization or harmony in a joint effort.

Like a merchant who learned music doing business

This proverb describes someone who tries to mix two incompatible skills or applies the wrong mindset to a task. It specifically refers to someone who is overly calculating or transactional in a creative field, or conversely, someone who brings too much artistic flair into a situation requiring strict logic and pragmatism, ultimately failing at both.