సానులలో సంసారి, సంసారులలో సాని

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.

This proverb suggests that health issues should be disclosed to others (especially doctors) to get help or a cure, but family problems or internal household matters should be kept private to maintain dignity and prevent gossip.

This expression means that the capacity for human excellence (virtue) and human depravity (vice) is universal. It emphasizes that good and evil are not restricted to any specific culture, nation, or ethnicity, but are common traits found across humanity.

This proverb is used to describe highly contradictory or impossible situations. It highlights the hypocrisy of someone claiming to possess a virtue or a lifestyle that is completely inconsistent with their environment or profession. Just as one cannot maintain a private, peaceful family life in the middle of a noisy, public market, it is considered ironic for a sex worker to claim the traditional virtues of a 'pativrata' (a chaste, devoted wife).

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.

This expression highlights that it is almost impossible for a common man (householder) to be entirely free from worldly desires, specifically wealth (gold) and physical beauty (youth). It suggests that these attachments are intrinsic to the human experience in the material world.

This proverb highlights the essential elements for success in traditional rural life. It suggests that just as an ox is indispensable for productive agriculture, a cooperative and understanding wife is the foundation for a harmonious and successful domestic life.

This proverb describes a person who holds a lowly or insignificant position within an elite or superior group, yet is considered highly influential or superior among a lower or less-privileged group. It is used to mock someone's shifting social status or their tendency to act superior only when among their subordinates.

This expression suggests that a person involved in family life and worldly attachments (Samsari) is often burdened by responsibilities, worries, and emotional pain. Conversely, one who has renounced worldly ties (Sanyasi) is free and peaceful. It is used to describe the peace that comes with detachment or the stress associated with domestic life.

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.