ఎదుట బ్రాహ్మణుడు లేకపోతే వెయ్యి యజ్ఞాలు చేయవచ్చు

eduta brahmanudu lekapote veyyi yajnyalu cheyavachchu

Translation

If there is no Brahmin in front, one can perform a thousand sacrifices.

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe people who boast or make grand claims about their abilities or achievements when there is no expert or authority present to verify them. It highlights the tendency of some to act brave or knowledgeable only when they face no accountability or challenge.

Related Phrases

If a husband is not there, then the elder sister's husband; if a curry is not there, then dal.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone settles for a substitute or an alternative when the original or preferred choice is unavailable. It highlights the human tendency to find a replacement, sometimes even an inappropriate or simplified one, just to fill a void.

If you have no common food, [give me] the best; if you have no common cloth, [give me] a silk one.

This is a sarcastic expression used to describe someone who, when they lack basic necessities, demands or expects high-end luxuries instead of seeking practical alternatives. It highlights the irony of having extravagant tastes or unrealistic expectations while being in a state of poverty or deprivation.

Said by an impertinent beggar when refused assistance by a stingy person.

When someone said 'Oh Ekaadasi Brahmin', he replied 'Will calamities come and live with me?'

This proverb is used to describe a person who is recklessly indifferent to warnings or signs of impending trouble. It mocks someone who, when cautioned about a small problem or a specific ritualistic requirement (like fasting on Ekaadasi), responds with extreme exaggeration or sarcasm instead of addressing the issue.

If there is no Brahman within a hundred miles, I'll conduct the sacrifice. An ignorant professor gets on well in the absence of the learned.

This expression is used to describe someone who makes grand, empty promises or boasts about doing something difficult only when they are certain that the necessary conditions or resources (in this case, a priest) are unavailable. It highlights hypocrisy or a lack of genuine intent to follow through.

An elephant is worth a thousand when alive, and worth a thousand even when dead.

This expression is used to describe someone or something of immense value, status, or reputation that remains significant regardless of their current state or circumstances. Just as an elephant provides labor while alive and valuable ivory/hides after death, a great person's legacy or a high-quality asset continues to command respect and value even after its prime.

A Brahman's hand and an elephant's trunk are never quiet.

This proverb is used to describe people who are always restless or constantly engaged in some activity. Just as an elephant's trunk is always moving or exploring and a priest's hand is constantly involved in rituals, prayers, or receiving offerings, some individuals have a habit of staying busy or meddling in something at all times.

Using a Brahma-weapon on a sparrow

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone applies excessive force or uses an over-powerful tool to solve a very small and trivial problem. It highlights the absurdity of disproportionate reactions or measures.

Oh Brahmin who brought your own cold rice, please have your meal.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone is invited or offered something that they have already prepared or provided for themselves. It highlights a redundant or insincere gesture of hospitality where the host isn't actually providing anything new or helpful.

He said he would perform the ritual if no priest was found within twelve miles.

This proverb is used to describe a person who makes grand promises or offers help only under impossible or highly unlikely conditions. It highlights insincerity and the tendency to set unreachable criteria just to escape responsibility while appearing generous.

O Brahman! if you have brought food, eat it. Said to a selfish man who bores others by talking everlastingly of his own concerns.

This expression refers to a situation where someone is formally invited to do something they were already prepared or going to do anyway. It is used to describe a redundant or unnecessary invitation, or when someone tries to take credit for an action that the other person was already committed to performing.

* Corpo satollo non crede al digtuno, 20 ( 153 )