కుంచెడు బియ్యము గుమ్మడి కాయ
kunchedu biyyamu gummadi kaya
A Kunçam of raw-rice and a gourd. A modest request. A thousand Brahmins went on an auspicious occasion to bless the king and on being asked how much rice and vegetable they would each have for their meal, replied as above. The king angry and disgusted at their greediness ordered that each should be forced, with the penalty of his life, to eat the whole quantity demanded. The Brahmins however cheated the king at the suggestion of a cunning Kômaṭi, by distributing one Kunçam of rice and one pumpkin at a time among the whole number of men.
This expression is used to describe an uneven or disproportionate exchange, or a situation where a lot of resources are consumed for a single item. In a traditional sense, it refers to the heavy requirement of rice needed to accompany a large pumpkin curry, signifying that one thing necessitates a large amount of another to be useful.
Related Phrases
ఆవగింజ అట్టె దాచి గుమ్మడికాయ గుల్లకాసుగా ఎంచేవాడు
avaginja atte dachi gummadikaya gullakasuga enchevadu
A man who saves a mustard seed and thinks a pumpkin worth a shell-coin. Penny wise and pound foolish. They drink their water by measure, but eat their cake without. (Greek.)
This expression describes a person who is 'penny wise and pound foolish.' It refers to someone who is obsessively careful about trivial, tiny matters (the mustard seed) but remains completely negligent or wasteful regarding large, significant things (the pumpkin).
అంగడి బియ్యం, తంగెడి కట్టెలు.
angadi biyyam, tangedi kattelu.
Rice from the market, firewood from the Tangedu tree.
This expression is used to describe a person who lives hand-to-mouth or leads a very simple, unorganized life without any savings or future planning. It refers to someone who buys rice daily from the shop and picks up wild twigs for fuel just before cooking, signifying a lack of domestic stability or foresight.
సూది కోసం సోదెకు వెడితే, కుంచెడు బియ్యం కుక్క ముట్టుకుందట
sudi kosam sodeku vedite, kunchedu biyyam kukka muttukundata
When someone went to a fortune teller to find a lost needle, a dog touched a bushel of rice at home.
This proverb describes a situation where a person, in their pursuit of recovering a small or trivial loss, ends up incurring a much larger and more significant loss due to neglect. It is used to caution against misprioritizing small problems at the expense of larger assets.
కాలు తంతే పెరిగేది పుచ్చకాయ, కుళ్ళేది గుమ్మడికాయ
kalu tante perigedi puchchakaya, kulledi gummadikaya
If kicked with a foot, a watermelon grows, but a pumpkin rots.
This proverb highlights that different people react differently to the same situation or criticism. While some take hardship or pressure as a challenge to grow stronger (like the watermelon vine), others are fragile and succumb to it (like the pumpkin). It is used to describe resilience versus fragility in character.
కొన్నది వంకాయ, కొసరింది గుమ్మడికాయ
konnadi vankaya, kosarindi gummadikaya
Bought a brinjal, but asked for a pumpkin as a free extra.
This proverb describes a person who buys something very small or cheap but expects a disproportionately large or valuable item for free (kosaru). It is used to mock someone's unreasonable greed or lack of proportion in dealings.
మూఢుడికి కోపం వస్తే ముంతడు బియ్యం కుక్క ముట్టింది
mudhudiki kopam vaste muntadu biyyam kukka muttindi
When a fool gets angry, a potful of rice was touched by a dog.
This proverb describes a situation where an irrational or foolish person, in a fit of anger or ego, neglects their responsibilities or resources, leading to a loss. While they are busy being angry or throwing a tantrum, something valuable is wasted or ruined due to their lack of attention.
అడ్డెడు తవ్వెడు బియ్యము ఇచ్చి, అమ్మా నీ ప్రసాదము అన్నట్టు
addedu tavvedu biyyamu ichchi, amma ni prasadamu annattu
Like giving [ a cook ] two and a half measures of rice and saying, " Madam, this is your gift." The cook gets four-fifths of the rice for herself, and yet she must be coaxed to cook the food. The allusion is to a traveller endeavouring to get some person to cook for him.
This proverb describes a situation where someone gives a very small or insignificant amount of their own resources to a deity or a person, but then acts as if the subsequent benefit or the entire resulting entity is a grand gift or blessing from that recipient. It is used to mock people who take credit for 'generosity' using things that were already minimal or belong to others, or those who try to claim a large spiritual or social reward for a tiny, trivial contribution.
కొన్నది వంకాయ, కొసరినది గుమ్మడికాయ
konnadi vankaya, kosarinadi gummadikaya
What he bought was a brinjal, what he got to boot was a gourd.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone demands or expects a free addition (bonus) that is far more valuable or larger than the actual item they paid for. It highlights greediness or unreasonable expectations in transactions.
పొల్లు దంచి బియ్యము చేసినట్టు.
pollu danchi biyyamu chesinattu.
Like trying to get rice by pounding empty husk.
This proverb describes a futile or useless effort. Just as pounding empty grain husks (chaff) will never yield rice regardless of how much labor is put in, this expression is used when someone is wasting time on a task that has no possibility of a productive outcome.
గుడ్డి కంటికి కుంచెడు కాటుక
guddi kantiki kunchedu katuka
A bucketful of kohl for a blind eye
This proverb is used to describe an act of excessive waste or unnecessary decoration on something that is fundamentally broken or useless. It highlights the irony of spending resources to enhance something that cannot benefit from the enhancement, similar to 'putting lipstick on a pig' or 'pearls before swine.'