దరిద్రానికి దైవ చింతన

daridraniki daiva chintana

Translation

Divine contemplation for poverty.

Meaning

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone turns to spirituality or starts thinking about God only when they are in extreme misery or facing severe poverty. It highlights the human tendency to seek divine intervention as a last resort when all material means fail.

Related Phrases

There is no dearth of songs during the pounding of grain.

This expression describes a situation where there is an endless supply of something, often referring to talkativeness or irrelevant commentary. Just as people used to sing continuous, rhythmic folk songs to pass the time while manually pounding grain, it is used to describe someone who keeps talking or producing content without much effort or thought.

Knowledge that does not bring money is only for poverty

This proverb is used to emphasize that education or a skill which cannot be monetized or used to earn a livelihood is practically useless in the real world. It highlights the pragmatic view that the primary purpose of learning is to achieve financial stability.

Poverty has many words; a funeral rite has many curries.

This proverb highlights irony and hypocrisy. It refers to people who lack resources or capability but overcompensate with empty talk or excuses. Similarly, it mocks how some people prepare an excessive variety of dishes for a funeral feast (Thaddinam) despite the occasion being one of mourning or limited means. It is used to describe someone who talks big but has nothing of substance to show.

Poverty is accompanied by extreme hunger

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone lacks resources but has excessive needs or demands. It highlights the irony of having the least capacity to fulfill requirements while having the greatest desires or appetites. It is often used to comment on how problems seem to multiply for those already in a miserable state.

God is the only companion for the poor.

This expression is used to convey that when a person has no wealth, status, or support from society, God is their only protector and source of strength. It highlights the idea of divine providence for the marginalized.

Saturn (bad luck) sleeps too much, while poverty is always hungry.

This proverb describes the characteristics of misfortune and poverty. It suggests that bad luck or an ill-fated person is often lazy or slow to act (represented by sleep), whereas poverty is a relentless, consuming force that is never satisfied (represented by hunger). It is used to describe a state of chronic misery where one is stuck in a cycle of lethargy and desperation.

Greed and poverty are linked.

This proverb suggests that no matter how much wealth one possesses, if they have insatiable greed, they are effectively 'poor' because they are never satisfied. It is used to describe people who are never content with what they have and always crave more.

Poverty has too many words, a funeral ceremony has too many curries.

This proverb is used to criticize people who talk excessively to cover up their lack of substance or resources. Just as a feast of many curries at a funeral ceremony is seen as wasteful or inappropriate, unnecessary talk from a person who cannot provide results is viewed as a sign of incompetence or pretense.

Extreme delicacy and utter poverty

This proverb is used to describe a person who is overly fastidious, delicate, or high-maintenance despite being in a state of extreme poverty. It highlights the irony and impracticality of having expensive tastes or a fragile temperament when one lacks the basic means to survive.

Greed has no end, and a loincloth has no poverty.

This proverb contrasts the boundlessness of human desires with the simplicity of minimalism. It implies that while human greed knows no bounds, one who is content with the bare minimum (symbolized by the 'gochi' or loincloth) can never truly be poor or suffer from the lack of luxuries.