నీరులేని పైరు, నూనెలేని ఒత్తి

This proverb highlights the essential nature of self-respect and integrity for an individual. Just as a crop cannot grow healthy or yield results without proper manure/fertilizer, a person (metaphorically referred to as a farmer) cannot truly thrive or lead a meaningful life without honor and social standing.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone takes an extreme or counter-productive decision to avoid a specific problem, only to face a different set of hardships. It refers to building a home in an inconvenient, dry, or elevated area just to stay away from water/floods, but then suffering from the lack of basic water resources for daily survival. It highlights poor planning or overcompensating for one issue while creating another.

This expression refers to something that lacks its core essence or purpose. Just as a bell is useless if it cannot ring and a crop is worthless if it doesn't yield grain, any object or person that does not fulfill their fundamental function is considered ineffective or hollow. It is used to describe wasted effort or decorative things that have no practical value.

This proverb is used ironically or sarcastically to describe a situation that is incomplete or lacks its fundamental purpose. Just as a woman cannot be a mother without children, a grand event like a wedding is rarely free of some level of worry or responsibility. It implies that certain roles or events naturally come with inherent burdens or characteristics, and without them, the situation is paradoxical or meaningless.

This proverb highlights the importance of rules, leadership, and discipline in a community. Just as a lake without a boundary or embankment cannot hold water and will eventually go dry or cause destruction, a village or society without moral or legal constraints will fall into chaos and ruin.

This proverb highlights the essential requirements for survival and productivity. Just as a crop cannot grow or yield without a supply of water, a manual laborer or farmer cannot function or stay healthy without their basic morning sustenance (ambali). It emphasizes that ignoring basic needs leads to inevitable failure.

This expression describes a situation where efforts are completely wasted. Just as plants cannot grow in saline/barren soil and farming is impossible without water, it refers to embarking on a project or investment that is destined to fail due to a lack of fundamental resources or a poor environment.

This proverb describes a situation where someone is deeply affected, controlled, or punished by words, social pressure, or psychological influence rather than physical force. It is often used to refer to a verbal reprimand or a situation where a person is bound by their own sense of duty or obligation without any physical constraints.

A sudden and unaccountable calamity.

This proverb emphasizes that without proper maintenance and the removal of unwanted elements (weeds), one cannot expect a good result or harvest. In a broader sense, it means that if you don't address problems or distractions in your work or life early on, you won't achieve the desired success.

This proverb is used to describe a match between two people who are equally lacking or poorly suited in a similar way. It implies that a person gets a partner or an associate who is just as flawed or incomplete as they are, often used in a humorous or satirical context to describe mediocre pairings.