దీపంతో వెలిగించిన దివిటీ పెద్దదైనట్లు

dipanto veliginchina diviti peddadainatlu

Translation

Like a torch lit from a small lamp becoming greater than the lamp itself.

Meaning

This expression is used to describe a situation where a student, protégé, or child surpasses their teacher, mentor, or parent in fame, skill, or status. Even though the source (the lamp) was small, the outcome (the torch) is much more powerful and bright.

Related Phrases

Like making a monkey drink toddy (palm wine)

This expression is used to describe a situation where a naturally mischievous or restless person becomes even more uncontrollable, chaotic, or hyperactive due to external factors. It is used when someone's existing negative traits are amplified by bad influence or circumstances.

A lamp under a torch. One insignificant before the other.

This expression is used to describe a situation where a smaller or less significant thing is overshadowed or ignored in the presence of something much larger or brighter. It can also refer to someone who provides light or guidance to others but remains in darkness or unrecognized themselves, similar to the English idiom 'The cobbler's children go barefoot.'

A torch lighted from a lamp. Said of a great man sprung from a humble family.

This is a popular Telugu proverb (sameta) equivalent to 'Make hay while the sun shines'. It advises people to make use of opportunities while they are available and to complete tasks while the favorable conditions last.

Why worry about that which has already passed?

This expression is used to advise someone against dwelling on the past or mourning over things that cannot be changed. It is the Telugu equivalent of the English proverb 'There is no use crying over spilled milk.' It encourages focusing on the future instead of wasting energy on past mistakes or misfortunes.

Daily allowance is like torchlight - a meal's ration is like a stick's flame.

This proverb describes the fleeting nature of income and sustenance. It suggests that a full day's earnings provide a strong, steady light (security), whereas living hand-to-mouth (a single meal's worth) offers only a weak, temporary flicker. It is used to contrast stable financial planning with precarious, short-term survival.

Like placing a small oil lamp before a flaming torch.

This expression is used to describe a situation where something small, insignificant, or inferior is compared to or placed in front of something vastly superior and brilliant. It highlights how the smaller object's light is completely overshadowed and made redundant by the larger one's brilliance.

If the dhoti is large, does the lineage become great?

This proverb is used to say that outward appearance, expensive clothing, or displays of wealth do not determine a person's character, family status, or nobility. Just because someone wears fancy clothes doesn't mean they possess high virtues or a respected heritage.

Like a deaf husband for a blind wife.

This proverb describes a situation where two people are equally mismatched or have complementary flaws that lead to a dysfunctional or comical result. It is used to refer to a pairing where neither party can help the other's shortcomings, or when two incompetent people are brought together.

A lamp under a torch

This expression is used to describe a situation where a smaller, less significant thing or person is overshadowed or made redundant by something much larger or superior. It can also refer to something being unnoticeable or unnecessary in the presence of a much greater light or talent.

A woman who has left her husband is a leader for the street; a woman who has left her home is a leader for the bazaar.

This is a traditional Telugu proverb (Sameta) used to describe people who, after breaking social or moral boundaries and losing their respectability, try to act as leaders or authoritative figures in public places. It highlights how those who lack discipline in their personal lives often try to dominate others in the community.