గుడి అంతా దేవుడైతే గుదమెక్కడ బెట్టేది?

gudi anta devudaite gudamekkada bettedi?

Translation

If the whole temple is occupied by the deity, where would one place the offering?

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe a situation where there is no space left for anything else because of an overwhelming presence or over-utilization. It is often used to criticize someone who is being overly demanding or when a space/situation is so crowded or filled with one thing that practical functions cannot be carried out.

Related Phrases

Can we offer leaves as large as a mountain to a God who is as big as a mountain?

This expression is used to signify that it is impossible to fully repay someone's immense help or match their stature with material offerings. It emphasizes that devotion or gratitude is more important than the scale of the gift, acknowledging human limitations when dealing with greatness.

When a trooper was told not to come into the village, he asked where he was to put up his horse.

This proverb is used to describe a person who lacks common sense or ignores a larger rejection to focus on a trivial detail. It highlights the behavior of someone who misses the main point (not being welcome at all) and asks about a minor logistical matter (parking or stabling).

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A god-like figure when it comes to stealing or grabbing.

This expression is used to describe someone who is exceptionally skilled or brazen at stealing, grabbing, or misappropriating things. It metaphorically compares their 'talent' for taking what isn't theirs to the immense power of a deity, often used in a sarcastic or critical tone towards someone who exploits others effortlessly.

Can we offer mountain-sized leaves to a mountain-sized God?

This expression is used to acknowledge that one's offerings or gratitude can never truly match the magnitude of the help or blessings received. It is often said humbly when offering a small gift or gesture to someone of great stature or to a deity, implying that while the offering is small, the devotion is large.

A god outside, a devil at home

This expression describes a hypocritical person who acts virtuous, kind, and saintly in public or with strangers, but is cruel, abusive, or ill-tempered with their own family members behind closed doors. It is used to expose someone's double standards or fake personality.

Where is the jackal ? where is heaven ? What prospect has the jackal of entering heaven ? A hopeless idea.

This expression is used to highlight a vast disparity or extreme difference between two things or people. It suggests that comparing them is absurd because one is lowly or insignificant (the fox) while the other is grand or celestial (heaven).

The temple priest is more important than the God in the temple.

This expression is used to describe a situation where an intermediary or a subordinate has more influence or power than the actual authority figure. It suggests that one must please the gatekeeper or the middleman to get access to the main person or result.

An offering of jaggery the size of a fingernail to a god as big as a mountain.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone offers a very small or insignificant token of gratitude or contribution in comparison to the massive favor or help received. It highlights the disparity between the greatness of the benefactor and the smallness of the gesture returned.

No matter how much a sheep grows, its tail remains only a span long.

This proverb is used to describe someone who, despite achieving growth, success, or status, cannot escape their inherent limitations or humble origins. It suggests that certain fundamental traits or deficiencies remain unchanged regardless of external progress.

If it's another's, it's as much as one can endure; if it's one's own, it's as much as a mountain.

This proverb describes double standards and hypocrisy. It refers to people who are very demanding, critical, or stingy when dealing with others' resources or problems, but become extremely sensitive, protective, or exaggerating when it involves their own property or effort.