సముద్రమైనా ఈదవచ్చు కానీ సంసారం ఈదలేం

samudramaina idavachchu kani samsaram idalem

Translation

One can swim across an ocean, but one cannot swim across the ocean of worldly/family life.

Meaning

This proverb highlights the immense challenges and complexities involved in managing family life and worldly responsibilities. It suggests that while physical or heroic feats (like swimming across a sea) might be possible with effort, the emotional, financial, and social struggles of 'Samsaram' (domestic life) are far more difficult to navigate and never-ending.

Related Phrases

One can swim across even an ocean, but one cannot swim across the ocean of worldly/family life.

This proverb highlights the immense difficulties and endless responsibilities involved in managing a family and worldly affairs (Samsara). It suggests that physical challenges, like swimming across a vast sea, might be achievable with effort, but the complex emotional and financial struggles of life are far more daunting and difficult to overcome.

When someone took up asceticism because family life was bad, the ash bag and the water gourd became a burden on the donkey.

This proverb describes a situation where someone tries to escape their current problems by switching to a different lifestyle or job, only to find that the new path brings its own set of even more difficult burdens. It is used to highlight that running away from responsibilities often leads to new complications.

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.

When one took up asceticism to avoid family life, the burden of a donkey fell on them.

This proverb describes a situation where someone tries to escape their current responsibilities or problems only to end up with even more difficult or undesirable burdens. It is used when a person's attempt to seek a simpler, stress-free life results in unexpected and harder tasks.

You may swim over the sea, but not over family [ annoy- ances ].

This proverb highlights the immense difficulties and endless responsibilities of worldly life (Samsara). It suggests that while physical feats like crossing a vast sea might be possible with effort, managing the complexities, emotions, and burdens of domestic life is an unending and often overwhelming challenge.

A perfect housewife supposedly plastered the house floor with urine.

This sarcastic proverb is used to mock people who pretend to be extremely frugal, efficient, or 'perfect' but end up doing something disgusting, counterproductive, or foolish in their attempt to save resources. It highlights the irony of someone claiming to be a great homemaker while violating basic common sense or hygiene.

The sea to a desperate man is as [ shallow water only up to ] his knees. Men in despair fear nothing. Despair gives courage to a coward.

This proverb describes a state of desperation or extreme courage born out of having nothing left to lose. When someone is facing certain death or a total downfall, even the most daunting obstacles (like a vast ocean) seem trivial or manageable to them because they no longer fear the consequences.

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.

Like rain falling into the ocean

This expression is used to describe an action that is redundant, useless, or has no significant impact because it is being added to something that is already vast or abundant. Just as rain does not change the level of the sea, a small contribution or help given to someone who already has everything is considered pointless.

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.