సముద్రమైనా ఈతవచ్చుగాని, సంసారమీదలేము

samudramaina itavachchugani, samsaramidalemu

Translation

One can swim across even an ocean, but one cannot swim across the ocean of worldly/family life.

Meaning

This proverb highlights the immense difficulties and endless responsibilities involved in managing a family and worldly affairs (Samsara). It suggests that physical challenges, like swimming across a vast sea, might be achievable with effort, but the complex emotional and financial struggles of life are far more daunting and difficult to overcome.

Related Phrases

One can perform the Ashwamedha sacrifice, but one cannot conduct a daughter's wedding.

This proverb highlights the immense financial burden, complexity, and social responsibility involved in performing a daughter's wedding in traditional society. It suggests that even the most difficult or grand Vedic rituals (like the Ashwamedha Yaga) are easier to manage than the endless arrangements and lifelong obligations associated with marrying off a daughter.

Good conduct and family life.

This expression highlights that a person's good character (Nalasaramu) and their family/domestic life (Samsaramu) are the two pillars of a respectable existence. It is used to emphasize that one's reputation depends equally on individual integrity and how they manage their household.

You may swim over the sea, but not over family [ annoy- ances ].

This proverb highlights the immense difficulties and endless responsibilities of worldly life (Samsara). It suggests that while physical feats like crossing a vast sea might be possible with effort, managing the complexities, emotions, and burdens of domestic life is an unending and often overwhelming challenge.

One can make someone eat bitterness through friendship, but cannot force them to drink milk through power.

This proverb emphasizes that affection and friendship can achieve things that force or coercion cannot. You can convince someone to do something difficult or unpleasant (bitterness) out of love, but you cannot force them to accept even something beneficial (milk) against their will.

One can swim across an ocean, but one cannot swim across the ocean of worldly/family life.

This proverb highlights the immense challenges and complexities involved in managing family life and worldly responsibilities. It suggests that while physical or heroic feats (like swimming across a sea) might be possible with effort, the emotional, financial, and social struggles of 'Samsaram' (domestic life) are far more difficult to navigate and never-ending.

The sea to a desperate man is as [ shallow water only up to ] his knees. Men in despair fear nothing. Despair gives courage to a coward.

This proverb describes a state of desperation or extreme courage born out of having nothing left to lose. When someone is facing certain death or a total downfall, even the most daunting obstacles (like a vast ocean) seem trivial or manageable to them because they no longer fear the consequences.

With friendship you can make someone eat bitterness, but with force you cannot make them drink milk.

This proverb highlights the power of affection over coercion. It suggests that people are willing to endure hardships or do difficult things for those they love or trust, whereas force and authority fail to make someone comply even with something beneficial.

A family woman among courtesans, and a courtesan among family women.

This proverb describes a person who is a misfit or acts hypocritically depending on their surroundings. It refers to someone who pretends to be virtuous or conservative when among the immoral, but acts indecently or irresponsibly when among respectable people. It is often used to critique people who lack consistency in their character and adapt the wrong traits for the wrong environment.

Like rain falling into the ocean

This expression is used to describe an action that is redundant, useless, or has no significant impact because it is being added to something that is already vast or abundant. Just as rain does not change the level of the sea, a small contribution or help given to someone who already has everything is considered pointless.

A homemaker among prostitutes, a prostitute among homemakers.

This proverb is used to describe a person who is a misfit or acts hypocritically. It refers to someone who pretends to be virtuous in a wicked environment, but behaves wickedly in a virtuous environment, essentially being out of place or inconsistent in their character depending on the company they keep.