పెండ్లాము బెల్లము, తల్లి దయ్యము.

pendlamu bellamu, talli dayyamu.

Translation

Wife is jaggery, mother is a ghost.

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe a person who prioritizes his wife and finds her sweet (like jaggery) while neglecting his mother or viewing her as a burden/troublemaker (like a ghost). It is typically used as a criticism of someone who forgets their filial duties after marriage.

Related Phrases

Wife became jaggery, mother became poison.

This proverb describes a situation where a person, usually a man, becomes so infatuated or influenced by his wife that he begins to view his own mother with hostility or disdain. It is used to criticize someone who forgets their parents' sacrifices and treats them poorly after marriage, prioritizing their spouse to an extreme and unfair degree.

A mother is a divinity, a father a treasure.

This expression emphasizes the supreme importance of parents in one's life. It highlights that a mother provides spiritual and emotional guidance like a deity, while a father provides the material support and security necessary for life.

Mother is poison, wife is jaggery

This expression describes a situation where a person, influenced by their spouse, begins to view their own mother's advice or presence as toxic or bitter, while finding everything the spouse says to be sweet and desirable. It is used to criticize someone who neglects their parents after marriage.

A god outside, a devil at home

This expression describes a hypocritical person who acts virtuous, kind, and saintly in public or with strangers, but is cruel, abusive, or ill-tempered with their own family members behind closed doors. It is used to expose someone's double standards or fake personality.

Wife is a piece of jaggery, mother is a lump of clay.

This proverb describes a common human tendency where a person finds their spouse sweet and desirable (like jaggery) while viewing their mother as mundane or unimportant (like common soil/clay) after marriage. It is used to criticize those who neglect or undervalue their parents' lifelong sacrifices in favor of new relationships.

Mother is poison, wife is jaggery.

This expression describes a situation where a man unfairly views his mother's well-intended advice as bitter or harmful while seeing everything his wife says as sweet and desirable. It is typically used to critique someone who neglects or disrespects their mother due to an over-attachment or bias toward their spouse.

Wealth and life are under the Guru's control; the key and the body are under my control.

This proverb satirically describes a person who pretends to surrender everything to a teacher or mentor but remains deeply attached to their physical comforts and material possessions. It is used to mock hypocritical devotion or someone who talks about sacrifice but keeps the most important resources for themselves.

Molasses in the roof of the mouth, and poison in the heart.

This proverb describes a hypocrite who speaks very sweetly or kindly to your face while harboring malicious intent or hatred in their heart. It is used to warn someone about people whose words do not match their true internal feelings.

Honey in his mouth, words of milk; Gall in his heart, fraud in his deeds. ( Latin. )*

Your paternal uncle's wife is not your maternal aunt; your maternal uncle's wife is not your paternal aunt.

This proverb highlights the nuances of relationships and blood ties. It suggests that while people may hold certain titles or positions through marriage, they do not necessarily inherit the same biological significance or emotional depth as the original relative. It is often used to caution against expecting the same level of care or loyalty from relatives by marriage as one would from blood relatives.

When asked if there is jaggery, answering that there is ginger.

This expression describes an irrelevant or out-of-context response. It is used when someone provides an answer that has nothing to do with the question asked, or when there is a total lack of communication/understanding between two people.