రోగికి నిద్రరాదు, భోగికి కునుకురాదు

rogiki nidraradu, bhogiki kunukuradu

Translation

The sick person cannot sleep, and the pleasure-seeker cannot nap.

Meaning

This proverb describes how both extreme suffering and extreme pleasure can lead to sleeplessness. A sick person (rogi) is kept awake by physical pain or discomfort, while a person indulging in luxuries and worldly pleasures (bhogi) is often too excited, distracted, or busy with enjoyment to find rest.

Related Phrases

There is no sleep for an ascetic, a sick man, or a rake.

This proverb highlights three conditions that prevent a person from sleeping: a Yogi (spiritual person) stays awake for meditation or divine connection; a Rogi (sick person) cannot sleep due to physical pain or discomfort; and a Bhogi (pleasure-seeker) stays awake to indulge in sensory or material enjoyments. It is used to describe situations where different motivations or conditions lead to the same outcome of sleeplessness.

Bitter gourd for Kanuma, Snake gourd for Bhogi.

This is a traditional agricultural and dietary guideline followed in Telugu culture during the Sankranti festival. It suggests that one should stop eating snake gourd after the Bhogi festival and bitter gourd after the Kanuma festival, as the seasonal changes make these vegetables less suitable for health or signifies the end of their peak harvest season.

The Yogi, the pleasure-seeker, and the sick person cannot sleep.

This proverb highlights that three types of people find it hard to sleep, albeit for different reasons: the 'Yogi' (ascetic) is awake in meditation or spiritual pursuit, the 'Bhogi' (pleasure-seeker) is awake indulging in luxuries or out of fear of losing them, and the 'Rogi' (sick person) is awake due to physical pain or discomfort.

If there is food in the pot, the widow cannot sleep.

This proverb describes a greedy or gluttonous person who cannot rest as long as there is something left to consume. It is used to highlight an obsessive nature over resources or an inability to save for later because of an immediate desire to indulge.

The patient benefits only if the medicine matches the disease

This expression emphasizes that solutions must be specific to the problem at hand to be effective. It is used to convey that generic efforts are useless unless they directly address the root cause or the specific requirements of a situation.

The wage is not enough for the pot, and the tip is not enough for the tax.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where one's income or earnings are so meager that they don't even cover basic necessities or the overhead costs of living. It highlights extreme poverty or an unprofitable venture where the returns are insufficient to meet even the smallest expenses.

Bitter gourd for Kanumu, stomach for Bhogi

This is a traditional Telugu proverb related to the Sankranti festival. It suggests that on the day of Kanumu, one should eat bitter gourd (kakarakaya) for health reasons or as a ritual, while Bhogi is the day to feast and fill one's stomach with delicious food. It emphasizes the specific culinary customs associated with each day of the three-day harvest festival.

A sick person has more anger.

This expression is used to describe how people who are suffering or in a weak state tend to be irritable, impatient, or easily annoyed. It serves as a reminder to be patient and empathetic with those who are unwell, as their physical discomfort often manifests as bad temper.

Medicine does not work on a dying patient

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone is so set on a destructive path or a problem is so far gone that no amount of advice, help, or remedy can save them. It implies that when failure or ruin is inevitable, any corrective efforts are futile.

To a person suffering from excess bile, sugar tastes bitter.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone's own bias, negative mindset, or illness prevents them from appreciating something good or truthful. Just as a physical illness can distort one's sense of taste, a mental or emotional prejudice can make a person perceive a good thing as bad.