ఎద్దుతో వ్యవసాయం ఆలితో సంసారం

edduto vyavasayam alito samsaram

Translation

Farming with a bull, family life with a wife.

Meaning

This proverb highlights the essential elements for success in traditional rural life. It suggests that just as an ox is indispensable for productive agriculture, a cooperative and understanding wife is the foundation for a harmonious and successful domestic life.

Related Phrases

Farming in a distant village and medicine in one's own village.

This proverb highlights the importance of proximity in different professions. It suggests that farming is best done in a fertile village (even if it's far), but medical help should be available in the village where one resides for immediate access during emergencies. It is used to discuss the strategic location of services based on necessity and convenience.

Farming with a neighbor and a household with two wives are the same.

This proverb highlights that certain situations are inherently problematic and difficult to manage. Just as shared farming leads to disputes over labor and yield, having two wives in one household traditionally leads to constant domestic conflict and lack of peace.

Good conduct and family life.

This expression highlights that a person's good character (Nalasaramu) and their family/domestic life (Samsaramu) are the two pillars of a respectable existence. It is used to emphasize that one's reputation depends equally on individual integrity and how they manage their household.

If you can cry, there is as much farming as there is crying.

This proverb highlights that agriculture is an extremely demanding and difficult profession. It suggests that if one is willing to endure the hardship and toil (metaphorically represented by 'crying'), there is endless work to be done. It is used to describe the relentless nature of farming and the physical or emotional toll it takes on a person.

Agriculture belongs to the one who has paddy and cattle.

This proverb emphasizes that farming is only sustainable and profitable for those who possess the necessary resources, specifically grain (seed/wealth) and livestock (labor/manure). It is used to suggest that success in any venture requires having the essential fundamental assets.

Farming on high-elevated barren land will not even provide a meal.

This proverb highlights that investing effort or resources in an unproductive or unsuitable environment will yield no results. Just as farming on dry, elevated mound soil (pati) is futile because it cannot hold water, working on a flawed plan or in a hopeless situation will not even cover basic necessities.

Agriculture in Kolleru is the destruction of cattle

This proverb refers to Kolleru Lake, which is prone to sudden floods. While the land is fertile, farming there is highly risky. If floods occur, the cattle used for plowing often get stuck in the mud or drown, leading to their death. It is used to describe ventures where the potential for gain is overshadowed by the high risk of losing one's primary assets or livelihoods.

A girl born after three consecutive boys is equal to a co-sister-in-law.

This traditional Telugu proverb refers to the specific family dynamic when a girl is born after three sons. It suggests that such a child is treated with high regard, authority, or maturity within the household, similar to the status of a co-sister-in-law (Eralu) who shares responsibilities and status in the family hierarchy.

A family woman among courtesans, and a courtesan among family women.

This proverb describes a person who is a misfit or acts hypocritically depending on their surroundings. It refers to someone who pretends to be virtuous or conservative when among the immoral, but acts indecently or irresponsibly when among respectable people. It is often used to critique people who lack consistency in their character and adapt the wrong traits for the wrong environment.

The young girl of a big house and farming with oxen.

This expression highlights things that are prestigious but involve immense responsibility and hard work. Just as managing a household as a daughter-in-law in a wealthy, large family is demanding, farming with oxen requires constant effort and manual labor despite being a sign of a well-established agricultural life.