కన్నేల పోయెనోయి కనకలింగమా అంటే చేసుకున్న కర్మమోయి శంభులింగమా అన్నాడట

kannela poyenoyi kanakalingama ante chesukunna karmamoyi shambhulingama annadata

Translation

When asked 'O Kanakalinga, why did you lose your eye?', he replied 'It is the result of my past deeds, O Shambulinga'.

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone tries to hide their mistakes or incompetence by blaming it on fate or karma. It highlights a circular or evasive way of answering where instead of giving a direct reason for a failure, one attributes it to destiny to avoid accountability.

Related Phrases

When someone said 'Somalingam, Somalingam', he asked, 'Is he Ramalingam's son?'

This proverb is used to describe a person who is completely out of touch with the context or topic of conversation. It signifies a person who asks an irrelevant or foolish question after listening to a whole explanation, showing they haven't understood a single word.

If you say 'Rama' repeatedly it becomes 'Ramakoti', if you say 'Kama' repeatedly it becomes 'Kamakoti'

This expression highlights how repetition and persistence transform a simple action into something significant. It is often used to describe how a habit or a recurring thought, whether positive (spiritual/Rama) or negative (desire/Kama), eventually accumulates into a massive force or defines one's character.

When one went to do a good deed, bad fate/karma coiled around them.

This expression is used when someone tries to help others or do something virtuous, but ends up facing unexpected trouble or negative consequences as a result of their kindness. It is similar to the English saying, 'No good deed goes unpunished.'

"O Kanakalingam ! how did you lose your eyes ?" asked one; "The result of my deeds, O Śambhulingam!" replied the other. An evasive answer.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone tries to hide their mistakes or incompetence by blaming it on fate, karma, or destiny. It specifically refers to people who give philosophical or fatalistic excuses for problems they likely caused themselves, or when someone avoids giving a direct answer to a straightforward question about their failures.

When asked 'Oh Golden Linga, why did the eyes go blind?', the reply was 'Oh Shambhu Linga, it is due to past deeds/karma'.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where one's own past actions, mistakes, or negligence lead to inevitable consequences. It suggests that instead of questioning why a misfortune happened, one should recognize that it is a direct result of their own behavior or destiny (Karma). It is often used to emphasize accountability or the law of cause and effect.

When one said 'Oh Lord Shambulinga, this is the destiny I have created for myself', the response was 'Oh Abbulinga, there is no way out but to endure it'

This proverb emphasizes the law of karma and accountability. It suggests that one must inevitably face the consequences of their own actions, whether good or bad. It is used in contexts where someone is complaining about their self-inflicted troubles, highlighting that regret is futile and one must endure the results of their past choices.

When asked, 'Oh Shambhulingama, is it the field's fate?', the reply was, 'Oh Abbulingama, it must be endured.'

This proverb is used to describe a situation where suffering or consequences are inevitable regardless of whose fault it is. It highlights the philosophy of karma and the necessity of facing one's destiny or the results of a situation without any way to escape it.

One Lingadu may be gone, but chew well and swallow, he said.

This proverb describes a situation where someone experiences a significant loss or misfortune, yet they continue to focus on trivial or unrelated matters, or offer unsolicited, minor advice in the face of a larger disaster. It is used to mock people who remain stubbornly focused on small details when everything is already ruined.

"Śinganna, Śinganna, have you been to Addanki?" they asked. "I have been and come back" he replied. Śinganna was a simpleton who having heard that he was to be sent on an errand to Addanki, went off in the night without having received his message.

This expression is used to describe someone who gives a redundant, obvious, or meaningless answer to a simple question. It satirizes people who state the obvious as if they are providing significant information, or those who perform a task without achieving any real purpose or results.

Shambulingam's lid/cap, Ramalingam's magic trick

This expression refers to a situation involving deceit, manipulation, or a clever trick where one person creates an illusion or cover-up (kuppekattu) while another performs a deceptive act (kanikattu). It is often used to describe two people conspiring together or to mock someone performing meaningless rituals or suspicious activities that lack substance.