పెద్ద పులి యెదటనయినా పడవచ్చునుగాని, నగరి వారి యెదట పడరాదు.

pedda puli yedatanayina padavachchunugani, nagari vari yedata padaradu.

Translation

You may face a royal tiger but you should not face a go- vernment official.

Meaning

This proverb highlights the historical fear and unpredictability of government authority and bureaucracy. It suggests that while a wild animal is a known danger, the complications, legal troubles, and harassment one might face from officials or the state can be far more ruinous and difficult to escape.

Related Phrases

One can bear the burden of a debt, but who can bear the burden of harsh or rotten words?

This proverb highlights that financial debt is easier to manage or tolerate than enduring insults or hurtful, rotten speech. It emphasizes that emotional damage caused by words is often more painful and harder to stomach than material or financial hardship. It is used to caution against using abusive language or to express how unbearable disrespect is.

Truth may attract blame, but it will not lead to disgrace.

This proverb emphasizes that speaking the truth might lead to temporary criticism or accusations from others who are uncomfortable with it, but ultimately, the person remains honorable. It suggests that while one might be blamed for being blunt or honest, their character remains untarnished in the long run, unlike the shame that follows a lie.

One may face a tiger, but one should never face government officials.

This proverb highlights the unpredictable and potentially destructive nature of bureaucracy and state power in ancient times. It suggests that while a tiger is a known physical danger, the legal or political entanglements with authorities (royalty/government) can be more complex, lingering, and ruinous to a person's life.

Call me brother-in-law any where but at the Brinjal garden. Unwillingness to acknowledge relationship when it would cost anything.

This proverb highlights the importance of context and boundaries. While a relationship might be informal and friendly (calling someone 'Bava'), using that intimacy in a place where it could lead to suspicion or theft (like a garden where one might steal produce) is unwise. It warns that certain behaviors, though generally acceptable, are inappropriate in specific sensitive situations.

Reprove a man to his face; brand a man on his chest. Don't abuse a man behind his back. He who praises in praesentia, and abuses in absentia, have with him pestilentia. (German.)

This proverb highlights the difference between casual verbal exchanges and the deep emotional impact of certain words. It suggests that while some comments are just spoken words, others can hurt deeply and leave a permanent scar on the soul, much like a physical branding.

Whether it is a child or a calf, do we abandon them once they are born?

This expression is used to emphasize that once a project is started, a responsibility is taken, or a commitment is made, one must see it through regardless of the quality or the difficulties involved. It suggests that once something belongs to you or is your creation, you cannot simply discard it.

You may live in the verandah of a hot-tempered man's house but you should not dwell in the middle of the house of a man who conceals his resentment.

This proverb contrasts the behavior of an openly angry or short-tempered person with that of a sly, manipulative person. It suggests that while a hot-tempered person may be loud or harsh, their feelings are transparent and predictable. In contrast, a deceitful person (Nalimuchu) hides their true intentions and can cause much more harm from within. It is used to advise that honesty, even if blunt, is better than hidden malice.

One can bear being a widow, but one cannot bear being blamed (shamed).

This is a powerful traditional saying emphasizing that a person's reputation and honor are more important than any physical or social hardship. While widowhood (historically considered a great misfortune) is endurable, the burden of a false accusation or a stain on one's character is considered unbearable and worse than death or extreme misery.

If it is just a loss of wealth, one can endure any hardships to earn it back, but if the face gets wrinkled, what can be done?

This proverb highlights the difference between material loss and the irreversible passage of time or aging. It implies that lost wealth can be regained through hard work and perseverance, but lost youth and the physical effects of aging are permanent and beyond human control. It is used to emphasize that some things in life are rectifiable while others are inevitable.

A parrot likes to be petted itself, but not to see others petted. Applied to a selfish person.

This expression is used to describe human nature where individuals are often self-centered, prioritizing their own comfort, affection, or benefits over others'. It suggests that people are naturally more interested in their own well-being than in reciprocating or acknowledging the needs of those around them.