కాలం వస్తే గాడిద కాళ్ళు పట్టుకోవాలి

kalam vaste gadida kallu pattukovali

Translation

When time is bad, one must hold a donkey's feet.

Meaning

This proverb suggests that when a person is in a difficult situation or facing bad times, they might have to humble themselves or seek help from someone they normally look down upon to get their work done. It emphasizes the importance of pragmatism and patience over pride during adversity.

Related Phrases

As long as hands and feet are working, time will pass.

This expression emphasizes the importance of physical health and self-reliance. It implies that as long as a person is physically capable and mobile, they can work, earn, and sustain themselves without depending on others.

Whether the daughters-in-law of the house eat or the chickens eat, it will not go to waste.

This proverb suggests that money or resources spent within the family or on its assets are never truly lost. Just as feeding the household's chickens eventually benefits the family (through eggs or meat), food eaten by the family members contributes to the strength and well-being of the household itself. It is used to justify internal expenses that might otherwise seem like a loss.

If the nail swell, [it will be ] as big as the finger; if the finger swell, [it will be ] as big as the leg; if the leg swell, [it will be ] as big as a mortar; if the mortar swell, how big [ will it be ? ] Said in ridicule of a logician.

This is a humorous and logical Telugu proverb or riddle used to describe exaggeration or the concept of exponential growth/inflation. It highlights how a small issue, if left unchecked or exaggerated, can become absurdly large. It is often used to mock someone who is blowing things out of proportion or to point out the logical fallacy in a sequence of exaggerations.

When asked what she ate with, she replied she ate with hunger.

This expression highlights that hunger is the best sauce. It implies that when someone is genuinely hungry, the specific side dishes or quality of food do not matter as much as the satisfaction of eating. It is used to describe a situation where necessity or intense desire makes even the simplest thing seem wonderful.

The braying donkey spoiled the grazing donkey.

This proverb describes a situation where someone who is minding their own business and working productively is distracted or ruined by the foolish actions of another. It is used when a person's good progress is halted because they joined company with someone loud, lazy, or troublesome.

When wealth comes, strength comes; when wealth goes, strength goes.

This expression highlights the social reality that a person's influence, status, and perceived power are often directly tied to their financial standing. It is used to describe how people respect and follow someone when they are rich, but abandon or overlook them once they lose their fortune.

It is said that Vasudeva went and held the feet of a donkey.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where a highly respected, powerful, or intelligent person has to humble themselves or seek help from someone insignificant or unworthy due to desperate circumstances or to achieve a larger goal.

Even a person like Vasudeva had to touch the feet of a donkey out of necessity.

This expression is used to describe a situation where even a great, powerful, or dignified person has to humble themselves or seek help from someone inferior or unworthy to overcome a crisis or achieve a vital goal. It originates from the story of Vasudeva (Lord Krishna's father) crossing the Yamuna river, signifying that necessity knows no pride.

Like a helpless man clutching the legs of a donkey.

This expression is used to describe a person who, in a state of absolute desperation or helplessness, seeks assistance from someone completely insignificant, unworthy, or incapable of helping. It highlights the irony and humiliation of being forced to rely on the lowest possible means when one has no other choice.

Like catching the legs of a donkey because an ox is kicking.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone, in an attempt to escape one problem or danger, seeks help from an even worse or more unreliable source. It highlights the foolishness of choosing a remedy that is as bad as or worse than the original trouble.