మాయ సంసారం - మంటి దొంతులు

maya samsaram - manti dontulu

Translation

Illusionary worldly life - stack of clay pots

Meaning

This expression highlights the fragility and impermanence of worldly life and family bonds. Just as a stack of clay pots can shatter completely with a single fall, human life and attachments are temporary and can break or end at any moment.

Related Phrases

Why have excessive desires in a family life that is as small as a hen's egg?

This proverb is used to suggest that people with limited means or a small household should live within their boundaries and avoid unrealistic or extravagant ambitions. It emphasizes contentment and living a simple life proportional to one's small stature or resources.

If one observes closely, family life becomes a prison.

This expression suggests that worldly life or family responsibilities can often feel like a confinement or a prison due to the endless cycles of obligations, attachments, and burdens. It is typically used in philosophical contexts to describe the desire for liberation or the weight of domestic duties.

A disease should be made public, while family affairs should be kept secret.

This proverb suggests that health issues should be disclosed to others (especially doctors) to get help or a cure, but family problems or internal household matters should be kept private to maintain dignity and prevent gossip.

When a quarrelsome woman creates a scene in public, a decent woman hides behind the pots.

This proverb describes a social dynamic where aggressive or loud people dominate public spaces, while dignified or well-behaved individuals tend to withdraw or hide to avoid conflict or shame. It is used to explain why decent people often stay quiet when faced with rowdy or confrontational individuals.

Good conduct and family life.

This expression highlights that a person's good character (Nalasaramu) and their family/domestic life (Samsaramu) are the two pillars of a respectable existence. It is used to emphasize that one's reputation depends equally on individual integrity and how they manage their household.

There should be a proper time even for joking.

This proverb is used to advise someone that humor, teasing, or flirting should be done at the right time and place. It suggests that even harmless fun can be inappropriate or offensive if the situation is serious or the timing is wrong.

Choultry food - Monastery sleep

This expression refers to a lifestyle where one relies entirely on charity or public institutions for basic needs like food and shelter. It is used to describe someone who lives a carefree, nomadic, or irresponsible life without personal assets or a permanent home, often implying they have no familial or financial burdens.

A family woman among courtesans, and a courtesan among family women.

This proverb describes a person who is a misfit or acts hypocritically depending on their surroundings. It refers to someone who pretends to be virtuous or conservative when among the immoral, but acts indecently or irresponsibly when among respectable people. It is often used to critique people who lack consistency in their character and adapt the wrong traits for the wrong environment.

Those who don't have a family (responsibilities) have more flirtations.

This expression is used to point out that people who lack serious responsibilities or professional commitments often waste their time on frivolous activities, jokes, or playfulness. It implies that a busy person with a household to manage wouldn't have the luxury of such idle talk.

A homemaker among prostitutes, a prostitute among homemakers.

This proverb is used to describe a person who is a misfit or acts hypocritically. It refers to someone who pretends to be virtuous in a wicked environment, but behaves wickedly in a virtuous environment, essentially being out of place or inconsistent in their character depending on the company they keep.