సంతలో కొట్టినందుకు సాక్షులెవరు?

santalo kottinanduku sakshulevaru?

Translation

Who are witnesses to the [ blow ] struck in the fair ? In a crowd, no one can tell by whom a blow was struck.

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe a situation where an event happens in such a chaotic or crowded environment that it is impossible to pinpoint the culprit or find reliable witnesses. It suggests that in the middle of a massive commotion, individual actions often go unnoticed or unproven.

Related Phrases

She didn't cry because her husband hit her, but because her sister-in-law laughed at it.

This proverb describes a situation where the humiliation or mockery from peers is more painful than the actual suffering or punishment itself. It is used when someone is more bothered by public embarrassment or the reactions of others than by the core problem they are facing.

If someone is beaten in a crowded market, who will be the witness?

This proverb is used to describe a situation where an action is performed amidst so much chaos, noise, or a large crowd that it becomes impossible to identify the culprit or find a specific witness. It highlights how anonymity or confusion in a crowd can be used to escape accountability.

Waking up early and losing the way offset each other.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where the effort put into a task is rendered useless by a subsequent mistake or hurdle. It highlights that the benefit gained from starting early or working hard was nullified because the person ended up going in the wrong direction or making a fundamental error, resulting in no net progress.

Boiling the nuts is equal to drinking the residue.

This proverb describes a situation where the effort put into a task is completely negated by the poor quality of the result, or where one trouble cancels out another with no net gain. It is used when a difficult process yields a disappointing or insignificant outcome, effectively meaning 'it was all for nothing' or 'the effort and the result are equally bad'.

Waking up early and losing the way balanced each other out.

This expression is used when the extra effort or advantage gained at the start of a task is completely negated by a subsequent mistake or misfortune. It implies that despite a good start, one is back to square one due to poor execution or bad luck.

He said it's a fair trade: for the time spent grazing the bulls, he got to swallow the food morsels.

This expression describes a situation where the effort put into a task is exactly equal to or barely covered by the meager reward received, resulting in no real gain or profit. It is used when someone works hard just to meet basic sustenance or when a transaction results in a zero-sum outcome with no benefit for the labor involved.

Like hitting someone with a stone who previously hit you with butter.

This proverb is used to describe an act of extreme ingratitude or an unfair, harsh reaction to a kind gesture. It refers to a situation where a person responds to someone's gentleness or favor with cruelty or hostility.

Thinking her brother-in-law was inside the gunny bag, she touched his feet in the middle of a busy market.

This proverb describes a situation where someone acts out of place or performs a private/respectful gesture in an inappropriate or public setting due to a misunderstanding or lack of common sense. It is used to mock people who do the right thing at the wrong time or place.

It is not because the husband beat me, but because the sister-in-law laughed at me.

This proverb describes a situation where the actual pain or loss caused by a primary event is less hurtful than the humiliation or mockery faced from peers or rivals during that event. It is used to highlight how social embarrassment or the gloating of others often stings more than the misfortune itself.

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.