చస్తుంటే సంధ్యమంత్రం చెప్పమన్నట్లు

chastunte sandhyamantram cheppamannatlu

Translation

Like asking someone to recite evening prayers while they are dying.

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone gives impractical, ill-timed, or pedantic advice during a critical crisis. It refers to a person focusing on trivial rituals or formalities when immediate life-saving action or empathy is required.

Related Phrases

A twilight prayer while dying?

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone attempts to perform a task or follow a ritual at the very last moment when it is no longer useful or relevant. It highlights the irony of worrying about trivial procedures or formalities when facing a major crisis or life-ending situation.

For the Sandhyâ without Mantras another pot of water. A man who pretends to perform the Sandhyâ without really repeating the sacred formula, uses twice as much water as is necessary.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where the core essence or necessary knowledge of a task is missing, yet one goes through a lot of unnecessary, superficial motions or excessive preparation. It highlights the futility of performing rituals or tasks without understanding their true purpose or possessing the required skill.

* Verbum sat sapienti.

When told to perform the evening prayers, he told the sun to wait.

This proverb is used to describe a person who makes silly or impossible excuses to avoid doing a simple task. It refers to someone who procrastinates by trying to control things beyond their power instead of fulfilling their immediate responsibility.

When asked to tell things as they are, she asked what the food she ate did.

This proverb is used to describe a person who, when asked for an honest or straightforward opinion, brings up irrelevant personal grievances or reacts with unexpected defensiveness/deflection. It highlights the tendency of some people to shift the topic to their own dissatisfaction instead of being objective.

A wedding won't stop without a grinding stone, and sunset won't stop if one doesn't perform the evening ritual.

This proverb emphasizes that life and nature continue to move forward regardless of minor obstacles or whether an individual performs their rituals or duties. It is used to suggest that certain formalities are secondary to the larger process, and the world does not stop for anyone.

Like asking someone to keep talking until dawn when asked for a small favor.

This proverb describes a situation where someone is asked to do a simple or unpaid task (Vetti), but they try to drag it out or demand excessive details, making the task unnecessarily long or burdensome. It is used when a person complicates a simple request or when a helper becomes a nuisance by over-extending their involvement.

They asked to deliver the news of death coolly.

This expression is used when someone breaks bad or serious news in an overly casual, indirect, or inappropriately calm manner. It can also describe a situation where someone takes an unnecessarily long time to get to the point when conveying a disaster.

Mallubhatlu to recite the mantra, Tippambhatlu to eat the meal.

This proverb describes a person who avoids work or responsibility but is the first one to show up for the benefits or rewards. It is used to mock lazy individuals who are incompetent at their duties but very active when it comes to personal gain.

Like teaching the sacred mantra to the teacher.

This expression is used when someone tries to teach or advise an expert or a mentor in their own field of expertise. It describes a situation where an amateur or a student attempts to lecture someone who is far more knowledgeable or experienced than themselves.

Reciting evening prayers while dying?

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone attempts a remedy or starts a ritual far too late to be of any use. It highlights the futility of performing actions at the very last moment when the situation is already beyond repair or when death/failure is imminent.