గంధం సమర్పయామి అంటే గొడ్డలి నూరరా అన్నాడట

gandham samarpayami ante goddali nurara annadata

Translation

When told 'I offer sandalwood paste', he replied 'Go sharpen the axe'

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe a person who is completely disconnected from the context or lacks any aesthetic sense. It refers to a situation where someone responds with a harsh or violent suggestion to a peaceful or spiritual request, highlighting a total lack of understanding or harmony.

Related Phrases

When asked why he was damaging the house where he ate, he replied, 'Will they let me into the house where I haven't eaten?'

This proverb is used to describe an ungrateful person who harms those who helped or sheltered them. It highlights the absurdity of justifying betrayal or destructive behavior against one's benefactors with flawed or cynical logic.

When the teacher asked his student to find his sandals, the student replied, 'Teacher, who ate less than you?'

This proverb describes a situation where someone gives an irrelevant, smart-aleck, or lazy excuse to avoid doing a task. It highlights the behavior of people who try to act clever or use logic-defying arguments to escape their responsibilities when asked for help.

When a woman said "O conceited brother-in-law," he answered "Well, one eyed sister-in-law."

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone who is criticized for their flaws or arrogance immediately retaliates by pointing out a bigger or equally hurtful flaw in the critic. It highlights a cycle of mutual insults or a situation where a person with faults tries to silence another person's valid observation with rudeness.

When asked why he was washing his hair on Ekadashi, he said it's a daily ritual he started today; when asked the next day why he wasn't washing it, he said the ritual ended yesterday.

This proverb is used to describe a lazy or hypocritical person who makes up convenient excuses on the spot to justify their actions. It mocks people who pretend to follow strict rules or vows only when it suits them, and immediately abandon them when it requires actual effort or consistency.

When a fly falls into the raw gruel, the monk says 'whatever fell is dedicated to Lord Rama'

This expression is used to describe a person who pretends to be generous or sacrificial only when something is already lost, ruined, or of no use to them. It mocks the act of making a virtue out of necessity or masking a loss as a voluntary donation.

He said 'brother' to the axe blow

This expression describes a situation where someone suddenly becomes humble, respectful, or starts calling an enemy 'brother' only when faced with an immediate, life-threatening danger or severe punishment. It is used to mock people who only show manners or submission when they are under duress.

When the daughter-in-law said she was hungry, her mother- in-law told her to swallow the pestle.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone asks for a basic necessity or a small favor and receives a cruel, impossible, or mocking response instead of help. It highlights the lack of empathy or the hostile relationship between two people, often used to critique someone who gives heartless advice.

Rōkali is a wooden pestle, five or six feet long, used for pounding rice.

Badarayana relationship

This expression refers to a very remote, forced, or far-fetched connection between two things or people. It is used when someone tries to establish a relationship or logic where none naturally exists, similar to the concept of 'six degrees of separation' but used more ironically or mockingly.

When asked which way, saying 'Godavari' way.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone gives an irrelevant or nonsensical answer to a specific question, or when there is a complete lack of communication/understanding between two people. It highlights a disconnect where the response has nothing to do with the query.

When told, 'Child, don't step on the threshold/pillar,' she replied, 'I am the second wife to my husband.'

This expression is used to describe a person who gives a completely irrelevant or out-of-context response to a simple instruction or advice. It highlights a situation where someone reveals unnecessary personal details or displays defensive vanity instead of just following a basic rule or suggestion.