ఏకాదశినాడు పేలపిండి తినకపోతే రాకాసులై పుడుతారు.

ekadashinadu pelapindi tinakapote rakasulai pudutaru.

Translation

If you do not eat popped-grain flour on Ekadashi, you will be born as a demon.

Meaning

This is a traditional Telugu saying used to emphasize the dietary customs associated with the Ekadashi festival (specifically Ashadha Ekadashi). It uses the hyperbolic threat of becoming a 'demon' (Rakshasa) to ensure children and family members follow the ritual of consuming 'Pelapindi' (roasted/popped grain flour) for its seasonal health benefits during the monsoon transition.

Related Phrases

Even if a dog eats oil-cake, it will not stop wagging its tail.

This expression suggests that basic inherent traits or nature cannot be changed regardless of the circumstances or the food one consumes. It is used to describe a person who continues their characteristic behavior (often flattery or subservience) despite their current state or status.

The desire of a dirty woman - a waste of popped grain flour.

This proverb is used to describe situations where effort or resources are wasted on someone or something that cannot be improved or does not deserve it. It suggests that trying to fulfill the unnecessary whims of an unworthy or lazy person leads to a loss of valuable materials.

Like saying flour blown away by the wind is an offering to Lord Rama.

This proverb is used to describe a person who pretends to be charitable or generous with something they have already lost or cannot use. It refers to making a virtue out of necessity or claiming credit for a sacrifice that wasn't intentional.

Like offering the flour being blown away by the wind to Lord Rama

This proverb is used to describe a person who pretends to be charitable or generous with something that they were going to lose anyway or that is already useless to them. It mocks the hypocritical act of making a virtue out of necessity.

After buying, he won't stop eating it.

This expression is used to describe a situation where once a person has committed to or invested in something (or someone), they are bound to follow through or deal with the consequences. It highlights that certain actions create an inevitable sequence of events or responsibilities.

A toothless fellow likes Pêlapinḍi.

This proverb describes a situation where someone develops a strong liking or desire for something that is easy for them to manage given their specific limitations. Since a toothless person cannot chew hard foods, they naturally prefer soft, powdered food like 'pelapindi'. It is used to mock or point out how people's preferences are often driven by their weaknesses or inability to do otherwise.

When she said 'If I hadn't been born, you wouldn't have had a wife at all', he replied 'If you hadn't been born, I would have married your mother'.

This is a humorous and sarcastic Telugu proverb used to describe a witty or sharp-tongued retort to an arrogant or self-important claim. It highlights how someone's attempt to show their indispensability can be met with a crushing and absurd counter-argument, often used to silence someone who is bragging about their role in a situation.

Offering to God the flour which had been blown away by the wind. Let that which is lost be for God. What the abbot of Bamba cannot eat, he gives away for the good of his soul. (Spanish.)

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone loses something by accident or due to their own carelessness, but then pretends they gave it away as a generous act of charity or sacrifice. It mocks the hypocrisy of turning an involuntary loss into a fake act of virtue.

If I eat I can't move, if I don't eat I can't stir.

This expression describes a state of extreme laziness or physical inertia. It is used to mock someone who makes excuses for being unproductive regardless of the situation—blaming a heavy stomach after eating and a lack of energy before eating.

If you eat, you feel weak; if you don't eat, you feel weak.

This expression is used to describe a state of poor health or extreme exhaustion where neither food nor fasting provides relief. It can also figuratively describe a 'no-win' situation or a dilemma where every possible action leads to a negative or unsatisfying result.