కుట్టిన ఏడు కుట్టెండ, మరోఏడు మట్టెండ, మూడో ఏడు మొదలెండె.

kuttina edu kuttenda, maroedu mattenda, mudo edu modalende.

Translation

The first seven days are sting-heat, the next seven are ground-heat, and the third seven are root-heat.

Meaning

This saying describes the intensifying heat stages of the Karthe (specifically the period of Rohini Karte). It signifies that the heat starts by stinging the skin, then heats the very earth, and finally reaches the roots of trees, indicating the peak of the summer season in agricultural culture.

Related Phrases

All struggles are just for a handful of food

This expression is used to signify that all the hard work, toil, and various struggles a person undergoes in life are ultimately for basic sustenance and survival. It is often used to express a sense of humility or philosophical resignation regarding the grind of daily life.

If you miss three times, you will go seven distances away.

This proverb highlights the cascading effect of missing an opportunity or failing to act at the right time. It suggests that once a specific momentum or window of opportunity is lost after a few attempts, the goal becomes significantly harder to reach or moves much further away, leading to long-term delays.

A widow (or woman) left by her husband, and the sun that emerges after the clouds clear.

This proverb is used to describe things that are particularly harsh, intense, or uncontrollable. Just as the sun feels much hotter and more piercing immediately after a cloud cover passes, it is traditionally suggested that a woman who has lost her husband's protection or social restraint might act with fierce independence or unchecked intensity. It is often used to remark on the stinging nature of a situation or a person's sharp behavior.

Like a monkey bitten by a scorpion

This expression is used to describe a person who is naturally restless or mischievous, but becomes even more hyperactive, erratic, or uncontrollable due to a specific provocation or situation. It highlights a state of extreme agitation added to an already unstable personality.

Sunlight emerging from clouds, a woman left by her husband, a branch caught and released, and a pot lifted and dropped.

This proverb describes four things that are difficult to manage or have unpleasant consequences. The sunlight after a cloud cover is often very intense; a woman abandoned by her husband faces social hardship; a bent branch that is released snaps back with force; and a pot that is dropped breaks beyond repair. It is used to highlight situations that are intense, uncontrollable, or final.

The heat of the sun emerging from the clouds--the passion of a meretricious woman separated from her husband— the violence of a bough bent and let go—the force of a pot lifted up and dropped—are great. "Give the water no passage; neither a wicked woman liberty to gad abroad." Ecclesiasticus xxv. 25. A man under no restraint is a bear without a ring.

This proverb lists four things that become intense or volatile due to sudden change or release. 1. The sun feels much hotter immediately after clouds clear. 2. A woman abandoned may become sharp-tongued or fierce due to social hardship. 3. A branch that is pulled and let go snaps back with force. 4. A pot dropped from a height shatters violently. It is used to describe situations or people that have become particularly difficult or harsh due to their circumstances.

Became a porcupine quill in the house

This expression is used to describe a person who enters a group or a household and causes constant friction, disputes, or divisions among the members. Just as a porcupine quill is said to cause irritation or bad luck in a home according to folklore, this refers to someone whose presence is destructive to harmony.

A palm leaf strip that is bent and released, sunshine emerging after a cloud has passed, and a woman separated from her husband.

This proverb highlights three things that are considered uncontrollable, fierce, or difficult to deal with. Just as a bent palm strip snaps back with force and sunshine is particularly scorching after a cloud passes, the expression suggests that a woman who has gained independence from her husband (in the context of traditional social structures) can be formidable or unrestrained. It is used to describe situations or people that have suddenly become intense or hard to manage after being released from a constraint.

A woman who has been abandoned and the sun that has emerged from the clouds.

This proverb is used to describe something or someone that is extremely intense, harsh, or unbearable. Just as the sun feels much hotter and more piercing immediately after coming out from behind a cloud, the anger or behavior of a person who has faced rejection or abandonment is perceived to be particularly sharp and difficult to endure.

Did I dance? Did I sing? Did I play the drum? Or did I beg in the barber market?

This expression is used when someone is unjustly accused or criticized despite minding their own business. It implies that the speaker hasn't done anything wrong, shameful, or public that warrants such negative attention or harassment.