కోటి తలపడేవాడు ఒకడు, కూర్పులు లెక్కపెట్టేవాడు ఒకడు

This proverb describes a situation where one person puts in the hard work and resources to establish something significant, while another person takes over the easier, daily maintenance or claims the credit/benefits. It is used to highlight the disparity between the founder and the beneficiary.

This proverb describes a situation where one person commits a mistake or minding their own business, but an innocent third party ends up facing the blame or consequences. It is used to highlight injustice or a mix-up where the wrong person is punished.

This traditional proverb highlights different roles and emotional support systems within a family. It suggests that while a son might bring financial wealth or inherit the family lineage, a daughter is often the one who provides care, nourishment, and emotional support to her parents in their old age.

This expression is used to describe a situation where one person works hard to earn wealth or resources, while another person (often someone lazy or opportunistic) takes charge of managing, spending, or calculating that wealth without having contributed to the effort. It highlights the disparity between the laborer and the beneficiary.

This expression describes someone who is extremely shrewd, intuitive, or cunning. It refers to a person who can understand a person's hidden intentions or the entire situation with just a small hint or a simple gesture, much like claiming to see one's internal organs just from an open mouth.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where multiple people are working at cross-purposes or interfering with each other's work. It highlights a lack of coordination where one person's actions are countered or complicated by another's unnecessary involvement, leading to inefficiency or failure.

This proverb describes a situation where someone who is already in a miserable or poor state (drinking simple gruel) has an unnecessary assistant or a hanger-on performing a trivial task. It is used to mock people who maintain high airs despite poverty, or to describe having useless assistants when the task at hand is very simple.

This proverb is used to criticize someone who performs a low, disgusting, or degrading task and yet expects others to serve them or maintain their dignity. It highlights the irony of a person who has already lost their self-respect or status by their actions, but still expects royal treatment or assistance in minor matters.

This is a riddle describing the three main functions of a human being: The pillar-hider is the body (which stays in one place), the one who goes is the breath (inhaling and exhaling), and the one who never returns once gone is the life force or soul (Atma). It is used in philosophical or spiritual contexts to reflect on the transient nature of life.

This is a traditional riddle (podupu katha) describing the process of a human birth and death. It refers to the father (pillar), the child (coming into the world), and the soul or life breath (which never returns once it leaves). It is used to describe the cycle of life and the transience of human existence.