గుర్రానికి ముడ్డి ఎండితే, ఆరిక కసువయినా తింటుంది

gurraniki muddi endite, arika kasuvayina tintundi

Translation

If a horse be starving it will eat even Ârika grass.

Meaning

This proverb describes a situation of extreme necessity or desperation. It implies that when a person is in dire straits or facing a crisis, they will set aside their high standards, pride, or preferences and accept whatever humble resources or low-quality options are available to survive.

Related Phrases

If the horse has a tail, it drives away its own flies ; does it drive away the flies from all the horses in the stable ?

This proverb is used to describe human nature and self-interest. It implies that people generally use their resources, talents, or power for their own benefit rather than helping everyone around them. It is often cited when someone who has the means to help others chooses to be selfish or when one expects too much altruism from an individual.

Said when a selfish person is exalted. An ill man in office is a mischief to the public.

Though the tiger be hungry will it eat grass ?

This expression is used to describe a person's inherent nature or integrity. It suggests that a person of high principles or specific traits will not compromise their character or stoop to low levels even when faced with extreme hardship or desperate situations.

If the rider be bad, the horse will go on three legs. If the headman be soft, the subordinates will be careless.

This proverb is used to describe how subordinates or children take advantage of a weak or overly lenient leader or parent. It suggests that if the person in authority lacks firmness, those under them will become lazy, defiant, or perform poorly on purpose.

The village tells you to leave, the graveyard tells you to come.

This proverb is used to describe someone who is very old and near the end of their life. It signifies that their time in the world of the living (the village) is over, and they are ready for the afterlife or burial ground (the graveyard).

When a miser went to the ocean, even the sole of his foot did not get wet.

This proverb is used to mock extreme miserliness or ill-luck. It suggests that even when surrounded by abundance (like an ocean), a stingy person is so unwilling to spend or participate that they gain nothing from it. It can also refer to people who are so unlucky that they return empty-handed even from a place of infinite resources.

He is brushing the teeth of a blind horse.

This expression describes someone performing a completely useless, futile, or unproductive task. Just as brushing the teeth of a blind horse doesn't improve its sight or overall utility, it refers to wasting effort on something that yields no benefit or value.

While wisdom rules the lands, luck is out begging for food.

This expression is used to describe a situation where a person is highly intelligent, wise, and capable, yet suffers from extreme poverty or bad luck. It highlights the irony that intellectual merit does not always guarantee material success or prosperity.

Must one teach a horse to eat boiled gram ?

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone is already an expert or naturally inclined toward a specific task, making instruction redundant. It is often applied to people who are very fond of something or highly skilled at it, implying that they don't need any encouragement or guidance to do what they already love or know how to do.

Teach your grandmother to suck eggs.

For ten years they were children, for thirty years the husband disliked the wife, and for sixty years the wife disliked the husband. Applied to an unprofitable and unhappy life.

This proverb is used to describe a wasted life or a long period of time spent in procrastination and excuses. It humorously illustrates how an entire century (100 years) can pass by blaming others or circumstances—60 years blaming the wife, 30 years blaming the husband, and 10 years in childhood—without ever achieving anything meaningful.

He is cleaning the teeth of a blind horse. Unprofitable employment. He is teaching a pig to play on a flute.

This expression describes performing a completely futile, useless, or unrewarding task. Just as brushing the teeth of a horse that cannot see (and thus cannot be used effectively) is a waste of effort, this phrase is used to mock someone who is wasting their energy on something that will never yield a beneficial result.