పైపడ్డ మాటా, మడి పడ్డ నీళ్లూ పోతవా?

This expression is used to question someone's true motives or priorities. It highlights a situation where a person claims to be attending an event for its primary purpose (like a religious festival) but is actually more interested in secondary benefits or personal gains (like the free food).

This proverb emphasizes the lasting impact of words. Once water enters a tilled field (madi), it is absorbed and stays; similarly, once an accusation or a commitment is made publicly, it cannot be easily taken back or erased. It is used to advise caution in speech because reputations are hard to mend once a 'word' is cast upon someone.

This is a traditional proverb used to suggest that a promise or statement made by a woman is unstable, unreliable, or impossible to hold onto, much like trying to tie water into a bundle. It is typically used to express skepticism regarding commitments or to highlight perceived inconsistency.

This proverb is used to describe a state of stability and organized living. Just as embankments (bunds) protect a field by defining boundaries and preventing water loss, a family living separately (splitting from a large joint family into a nuclear one) is often seen as becoming more focused, settled, and manageable in its own space.

This expression is used to convey that the world or an organization does not stop functioning just because a leader or a specific individual is gone. It emphasizes that systems are larger than individuals and that life goes on despite the departure of those in power.

This proverb is used to describe actions or consequences that are irreversible or inevitable. Just as water absorbed by a field is utilized or lost to the soil and a physical blow leaves an impact or mark that must be endured, certain words spoken or actions taken cannot be taken back and their effects must be faced.

This proverb is used to describe a person who lacks skill or makes a mistake, but blames their tools, environment, or others instead of admitting their own incompetence. It is equivalent to the English proverb 'A bad workman always blames his tools.'

This proverb emphasizes that once a word is spoken or a promise is made publicly, it becomes a responsibility or an obligation that cannot be taken back, much like how water diverted into a farm plot stays there to nourish the crop.

This expression is used to describe someone who is waiting in vain or wasting time for something that will never happen. Legend has it that a fox waited under a Maddi tree for its fruit to fall, not knowing that the fruit stays on the tree even after drying, leading to a long and fruitless wait.

This proverb highlights the importance of livestock (specifically dairy cows/buffaloes) in traditional households. Just as a well that has fallen into disrepair or dried up is useless to a thirsty person, a house without 'paadi' (dairy wealth) is considered incomplete, lacking in prosperity, and unable to provide essential nourishment.