పాటిమీద వ్యవసాయం కూటికైనా రాదు

patimida vyavasayam kutikaina radu

Translation

Farming on high-elevated barren land will not even provide a meal.

Meaning

This proverb highlights that investing effort or resources in an unproductive or unsuitable environment will yield no results. Just as farming on dry, elevated mound soil (pati) is futile because it cannot hold water, working on a flawed plan or in a hopeless situation will not even cover basic necessities.

Related Phrases

Farming in a distant village and medicine in one's own village.

This proverb highlights the importance of proximity in different professions. It suggests that farming is best done in a fertile village (even if it's far), but medical help should be available in the village where one resides for immediate access during emergencies. It is used to discuss the strategic location of services based on necessity and convenience.

Even with a relative, shared farming should not be done.

This proverb warns against entering into business partnerships or joint ventures, especially in agriculture, even with close relatives. It suggests that financial dealings and shared labor often lead to disputes, strained relationships, and the eventual loss of both the business and the kinship.

The deity on the mound always chants for food.

This proverb describes someone who is more interested in the perks or rewards of a job rather than the duty itself. It is used to mock people who pretend to be pious or professional but are actually focused solely on their personal gain or their next meal.

The goddess Gangânamma who presides over the burial ground, thinks of nothing but eating [ the corpses ]. Entirely given to the selfish pursuit of one object.

This proverb is used to describe a person who is extremely greedy or obsessed only with food and selfish needs, regardless of their status or position. It implies that someone's focus is entirely on basic sustenance or material gain rather than their duties or higher purpose.

Service in the stables will not even earn one a meal.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where a person works extremely hard or performs menial, taxing labor but receives no meaningful reward or even basic sustenance in return. It highlights the plight of unrewarding or exploitative toil.

Farming with a bull, family life with a wife.

This proverb highlights the essential elements for success in traditional rural life. It suggests that just as an ox is indispensable for productive agriculture, a cooperative and understanding wife is the foundation for a harmonious and successful domestic life.

If you can cry, there is as much farming as there is crying.

This proverb highlights that agriculture is an extremely demanding and difficult profession. It suggests that if one is willing to endure the hardship and toil (metaphorically represented by 'crying'), there is endless work to be done. It is used to describe the relentless nature of farming and the physical or emotional toll it takes on a person.

Agriculture belongs to the one who has paddy and cattle.

This proverb emphasizes that farming is only sustainable and profitable for those who possess the necessary resources, specifically grain (seed/wealth) and livestock (labor/manure). It is used to suggest that success in any venture requires having the essential fundamental assets.

Agriculture in Kolleru is the destruction of cattle

This proverb refers to Kolleru Lake, which is prone to sudden floods. While the land is fertile, farming there is highly risky. If floods occur, the cattle used for plowing often get stuck in the mud or drown, leading to their death. It is used to describe ventures where the potential for gain is overshadowed by the high risk of losing one's primary assets or livelihoods.

For Ganganamma on the mound, her whole world revolves around food.

This proverb is used to describe someone who is excessively focused on their own needs, particularly food or self-interest, rather than their duties or surroundings. It refers to a local deity (Ganganamma) who, instead of focusing on her devotees or spiritual role, is preoccupied only with the offerings provided to her.