మంత్రం చెప్పను మల్లుభట్లు, తినేదానికి తిప్పంభట్లు

mantram cheppanu mallubhatlu, tinedaniki tippambhatlu

Translation

Mallubhatlu to recite the mantra, Tippambhatlu to eat the meal.

Meaning

This proverb describes a person who avoids work or responsibility but is the first one to show up for the benefits or rewards. It is used to mock lazy individuals who are incompetent at their duties but very active when it comes to personal gain.

Related Phrases

Like asking someone to recite evening prayers while they are dying.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone gives impractical, ill-timed, or pedantic advice during a critical crisis. It refers to a person focusing on trivial rituals or formalities when immediate life-saving action or empathy is required.

Heaps for the one who sits, troubles for the one who roams.

This proverb contrasts physical labor with strategic or steady placement. It suggests that someone who stays focused or 'sits' (often referring to a landowner or a steady worker) accumulates heaps of grain or wealth, whereas someone who wanders aimlessly or works without a plan faces hardships and troubles. It is used to highlight the rewards of stability versus the difficulties of being unsettled.

For the woman who lives by begging, a man who wanders around is the only destiny.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where two people who are equally poor or incompetent end up together. It implies that a person in a miserable condition can only find support or a companion who is in a similarly destitute or struggling state. It is often used to remark on the pairing of two unsuitable or resource-poor entities.

They say Annambhatlu climbed onto the loft after turning sixty years old.

This proverb is used to describe someone who attempts to start a new venture, learn a new skill, or take up a major responsibility at a very late stage in life when they are no longer physically or mentally fit for it. It highlights the irony of delayed action or performing a task when its relevance or the person's capability has passed.

Mallubhoṭlu to read the prayers, and Ellubhoṭlu to eat. It was Ellubhoṭlu's part to read the prayers, but as he was an ignorant man Mallubhoṭlu officiated for him, while he attended to the eating part of the ceremony.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where one person does all the hard work or fulfills the responsibilities, while someone else steps in to enjoy the rewards or benefits. It highlights hypocrisy or an unfair division of labor where the person who should be working is absent, but is the first to arrive for the feast.

Misery for the times and troubles for the country.

This expression is used to describe a period of collective misfortune or a series of calamities affecting a whole region or nation. It implies that when times are bad, hardships become widespread and inevitable, often used when discussing economic crises, natural disasters, or political instability.

One should buy land that is exactly as described.

This proverb emphasizes the importance of verifying facts and ensuring transparency in transactions. It suggests that if someone describes a piece of land to be a certain way, it must be acquired only if it matches that description exactly, warning against deceptive marketing or hidden flaws in deals.

Time is afflicted, and the country is wandering [in trouble ]. Said jokingly by a person when asked whether he was in trouble. Dîiams here means literally the country and not the inhabitants of it.

This expression is used to describe a period of extreme adversity, crisis, or misfortune affecting an entire society or region. It suggests that both the times (destiny) and the land are undergoing severe trials, often used in literary or dramatic contexts to lament widespread suffering, political instability, or natural calamities.

Like teaching the sacred mantra to the teacher.

This expression is used when someone tries to teach or advise an expert or a mentor in their own field of expertise. It describes a situation where an amateur or a student attempts to lecture someone who is far more knowledgeable or experienced than themselves.

I told the crowd, but did I tell myself?

This expression is used to describe a person who gives advice to everyone else but fails to follow that same advice in their own life. It highlights hypocrisy or the gap between preaching and practicing, similar to the English idiom 'Practice what you preach.'