ఇరుగుపొరుగు వ్యవసాయం, ఇద్దరు భార్యల సంసారం ఒకటే

iruguporugu vyavasayam, iddaru bharyala samsaram okate

Translation

Farming with a neighbor and a household with two wives are the same.

Meaning

This proverb highlights that certain situations are inherently problematic and difficult to manage. Just as shared farming leads to disputes over labor and yield, having two wives in one household traditionally leads to constant domestic conflict and lack of peace.

Related Phrases

Farming in a distant village and medicine in one's own village.

This proverb highlights the importance of proximity in different professions. It suggests that farming is best done in a fertile village (even if it's far), but medical help should be available in the village where one resides for immediate access during emergencies. It is used to discuss the strategic location of services based on necessity and convenience.

Agriculture is like Elinati Shani, and a wife is like Janma Shani.

This is a traditional proverb used to describe the constant challenges and lifelong responsibilities one faces. Comparing agriculture to 'Elinati Shani' (a period of 7.5 years of hardship in astrology) suggests it requires immense, long-term effort and patience. Comparing a wife to 'Janma Shani' implies that domestic life and marriage are permanent, life-long commitments that one must manage with care regardless of the difficulties.

Farming with a bull, family life with a wife.

This proverb highlights the essential elements for success in traditional rural life. It suggests that just as an ox is indispensable for productive agriculture, a cooperative and understanding wife is the foundation for a harmonious and successful domestic life.

A man who drags his feet has two wives: one to drag and one to weep.

This proverb describes a situation where an incompetent or troubled person's problems are multiplied by their associations. It is used to mock someone who, despite having their own significant flaws or disabilities, takes on extra burdens that only lead to more misery and chaos. It suggests that a person's inherent misfortune often attracts further complications that result in a perpetual state of struggle (dragging) and sorrow (weeping).

If you can cry, there is as much farming as there is crying.

This proverb highlights that agriculture is an extremely demanding and difficult profession. It suggests that if one is willing to endure the hardship and toil (metaphorically represented by 'crying'), there is endless work to be done. It is used to describe the relentless nature of farming and the physical or emotional toll it takes on a person.

A man who drags his feet has two wives; one to drag him and another to cry.

This proverb is used to describe a person who is extremely lazy, incompetent, or dependent. It suggests that such a person is a burden to everyone around them—one person has to constantly push or pull them to do anything, while another is left to lament their hopeless state. It highlights the frustration of those who have to support someone who lacks initiative.

Farming on high-elevated barren land will not even provide a meal.

This proverb highlights that investing effort or resources in an unproductive or unsuitable environment will yield no results. Just as farming on dry, elevated mound soil (pati) is futile because it cannot hold water, working on a flawed plan or in a hopeless situation will not even cover basic necessities.

Agriculture in Kolleru is the destruction of cattle

This proverb refers to Kolleru Lake, which is prone to sudden floods. While the land is fertile, farming there is highly risky. If floods occur, the cattle used for plowing often get stuck in the mud or drown, leading to their death. It is used to describe ventures where the potential for gain is overshadowed by the high risk of losing one's primary assets or livelihoods.

Service in another village and farming in another village eat you up; you do not get to eat them.

This proverb highlights the inefficiency and loss associated with managing tasks or assets from a distance. Just as working as a laborer or farming land in a distant village involves high costs, travel time, and lack of direct supervision, the expenses and efforts end up consuming the person's resources ('eating them up') rather than providing a livelihood or profit ('you don't eat them'). It is used to advise against taking up ventures where one cannot exercise direct control or where overheads exceed returns.

Service in another village and farming in another village consume a person rather than feeding them.

This proverb highlights the inefficiency and loss involved in managing work or assets far from one's residence. It suggests that laboring for others in a distant place or trying to manage agriculture in a different village results in more exhaustion and expense than actual profit or benefit. It is used to advise people to focus on local opportunities where they can supervise and sustain themselves better.