పెట్టిన వారికి పుట్టినదే సాక్షి, పెట్టని వారికి పుట్టనిదే నిజము.

pettina variki puttinade sakshi, pettani variki puttanide nijamu.

Translation

The alms received witness to those who gave; those who gave not, truly do not receive. If the charitable become poor, they will not ask for help in vain ; but the uncharitable will obtain nothing.

Meaning

This proverb highlights that the results of charity or kind deeds are visible through the prosperity and well-being of future generations (descendants). Conversely, those who are miserly or unkind leave no such legacy behind. It is used to emphasize that one's generosity is often reflected in the success of their children or the enduring impact of their legacy.

Related Phrases

Like breaking into the house of the person who fed you.

This expression describes extreme ingratitude or betrayal. It refers to a person who harms their benefactor or someone who has helped them in their time of need. It is used to condemn the act of biting the hand that feeds you.

I will grant a boon to those who come, and cast a stone on those who do not come. Supposed to have been said by a deity. Used threateningly by a great personage.

This expression is used to describe a person who shows extreme favoritism or bias. It implies that the person rewards those who comply with their wishes or approach them, while actively punishing or sabotaging those who do not follow their lead or stay away. It highlights a dual nature of being overly generous to allies and hostile to others.

Ugadi was born when the village was born

This expression is used to describe something that has existed since the very beginning or has been a tradition since time immemorial. It signifies that a practice or an event is as old as the foundation of the place or community itself.

Ploughing in the month of Chaitra is like gold refined in a furnace.

This is a traditional agricultural proverb emphasizing the importance of early soil preparation. It suggests that land ploughed during the month of Chaitra (the first month of the Hindu calendar, usually March/April) becomes as fertile and valuable as pure gold, leading to a high-quality harvest.

A woman who does not give [ alms ] will never give ; what evil has happened to the jade who does give ?

This proverb describes a person who neither does a good deed themselves nor allows others to do it. It is used to criticize dog-in-the-manger behavior where someone obstructs progress or charity despite having no intention of contributing themselves.

Said by a beggar of one from whom he generally received alms.

The one who is born is the witness to what was given.

This proverb is used to say that the results or outcomes are the best evidence of the efforts or causes that preceded them. Just as a child's characteristics or very existence serves as proof of the parents' union and care, any final product serves as a testament to the quality of the work or resources put into it.

The younger brother of him who is born, the elder brother of him who is about to be born. Said jokingly of a dwarf.

This proverb describes someone who is in a middle position or a mediator. It refers to a person who has experienced both sides of a situation, making them versatile or uniquely positioned between two generations or two different states of being.

Giving to an old woman and giving to a childless widow is the same.

This expression is used to describe an investment or a favor that yields no return or future benefit. In a traditional social context, it implies that providing for those who cannot reproduce or contribute back to the lineage is a dead-end expenditure.

For virtue, the deed itself is the witness; for a well, the water is the witness.

This proverb emphasizes that truth and character don't require external proof; their results speak for themselves. Just as the presence of water proves a well's worth, a person's good deeds or true nature serve as their own evidence.

Whose child are you, that you cry and weep so bitterly ?

This is a sarcastic or critical rhetorical question used to describe someone who is grieving, crying, or worrying excessively over a matter that does not concern them at all. It is used when a person interferes in someone else's problems or takes on unnecessary burdens that aren't their own.