నవమినాటి పురుషుడు, అమావాస్యనాటి ఆడబడుచు

navaminati purushudu, amavasyanati adabaduchu

Translation

A man born on Navami and a woman born on Amavasya.

Meaning

This is a traditional Telugu proverb used to describe individuals who are believed to be difficult to manage, stubborn, or troublesome. In Vedic astrology, Navami is considered a harsh day for men and Amavasya is considered difficult for women. It is used metaphorically to refer to people who cause stress to those around them.

Related Phrases

A husband is obtained based on one's merit (punyam), and a child is obtained based on one's charity (danam).

This proverb suggests that the quality of one's life partners and children is a result of their past good deeds and character. It is often used to imply that one's fortune in family life is reflections of their own virtues or to counsel patience and acceptance of one's destiny.

Husband according to past virtuous deeds and children according to one’s charity.

The advice is that one should lead a virtuous life, so that in the next life, a lady will be blessed with a noble (good) husband. And if she performs acts of charity, she will be blessed additionally with well-behaved (good) children. It calls upon women to lead a life of virtue. By extension, what applies to women applies equally to men.

Will eggplants grow just because the sun sets on a new moon day?

This proverb highlights that certain processes take their own natural time and cannot be rushed or expected to happen instantly just because a specific time or event occurs. It is used to mock someone's unrealistic expectations or impatience for results that require gradual effort.

When a thief's hand is put into a fire-pit, it flails about on a New Moon day.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone with a guilty conscience or an inherent bad habit becomes extremely restless or reveals their true nature when an opportunity or a specific triggering circumstance arises. It implies that a person's true character cannot be hidden forever and will manifest uncontrollably under certain conditions.

The mother-in-law who knew everything died on a New Moon day.

This proverb is used to mock people who claim to be experts or omniscient but fail at basic common sense or fail to account for things they should have known. In Telugu culture, the New Moon (Amavasya) is often considered inauspicious for certain events; the irony here is that despite her 'vast knowledge,' she couldn't even choose an auspicious time or manage her own fate effectively.

A man's success depends on his phase of life, children depend on his charity.

This proverb reflects traditional beliefs that a man's prosperity and success are determined by his current planetary period (Dasha/Fate), while the blessing of having good children is a result of the merits earned through charity and good deeds (Daana). It implies that different aspects of life are governed by different karmic outcomes.

A man is judged by his appearance, a son is obtained by one's merit.

This proverb suggests that while a man's worth is often superficially judged by his looks or conduct, having a virtuous son is considered a result of one's past good deeds or spiritual merit (Punya). It is used to emphasize that some blessings in life are rewards for one's character and actions.

A husband according to the worship [ of the wife ], a son according to the good works [ of the father ].

This proverb suggests that the quality of one's life partners and children is a result of one's past deeds, character, and spiritual merit. It is used to imply that the rewards or the caliber of people in one's life are proportionate to the effort and virtue one has cultivated.

Flood on a rainy day, dal-rice on a wedding day.

This expression refers to things that are temporary or occur only on specific occasions. Just as a flood only lasts as long as the rain and special wedding food is only served during the ceremony, certain benefits or situations are transient and do not last forever.

Among men, virtuous men are distinct.

This expression is a famous line from Yogi Vemana's poems. It signifies that while all humans may look alike on the outside, virtuous or noble people stand apart due to their character and actions, just as a swan is distinguished from a crow or a gemstone from common pebbles.