సర్వంకషప్రజ్ఞ కలవాడు

sarvankashaprajnya kalavadu

Translation

One who knows everything. Jack of all trades and master of none.

Meaning

This expression is used to describe a person who has profound, exhaustive, and comprehensive knowledge or genius in multiple fields or a specific subject. It refers to someone whose wisdom is thorough and touches every aspect of the matter at hand.

Related Phrases

Everything happens according to the Lord’s will: even an ant does not bite without His

This reiterates the potency of God and His will. But all the same, one should perform one’s duty (karma) and leave the result to God.

An order for mangoes, but is there an order for swallowing?

This proverb is used to point out the absurdity of trying to control or restrict something that is natural, involuntary, or beyond one's authority. While one might have control over the distribution of fruits (mangoes), they cannot control the basic bodily function or the urge of the person eating (swallowing). It highlights that certain things happen naturally and cannot be governed by rules or commands.

The boastings of Uttara Kumâra.

This expression is used to describe a person who boasts or brags excessively about their courage and abilities but proves to be a coward or fails miserably when it comes to actual action. It originates from the Mahabharata, where Prince Uttara Kumara made grand claims of bravery before fleeing the battlefield upon seeing the Kuru army.

Uttara, the son of king Virâṭa, volunteered to attack the Kurus, but his courage failed him and he turned tail at the sight of the enemy ( see Virâṭaparva of the Mahâbhârata ). Bragging. Bombast.

Valor without wisdom is like a sword without sharpness.

This proverb emphasizes that courage or bravery is useless, or even dangerous, if it is not guided by intelligence and wisdom. Just as a blunt sword cannot serve its purpose in battle despite its appearance, raw strength or courage without a strategic mind is ineffective in achieving goals.

Yaksha's Questions

Refers to a series of extremely difficult, complicated, or unsolvable questions. It originates from the Mahabharata where a Yaksha poses 126 complex philosophical questions to Yudhishthira. In modern usage, it is used to describe a situation or problem that is very hard to answer or resolve.

There may be a command (restriction) on tamarinds, but is there a command on swallowing (saliva)?

This proverb is used to point out that while one can restrict or control access to physical resources or external actions, one cannot control a person's natural reactions, thoughts, or internal desires. It is often used when someone tries to impose impossible or overreaching restrictions on others.

A person with two tongues

This expression is used to describe a hypocrite or a person who is deceitful. It refers to someone who says different things to different people or someone who goes back on their word (double-tongued).

The bride enters her husband's house, and the bridegroom enters the tomb.

This expression describes a situation where one person experiences a joyful or auspicious milestone while another person simultaneously faces a tragedy or disaster. It is used to highlight sharp contrasts in fortune within the same household or group, or to describe a bitter-sweet moment where a gain is offset by a severe loss.

Applied to a great calamity happening when most unlooked for. Also to a luckless woman. After a dream of a wedding comes a corpse.

There is no sentence beyond the head. Do your worst, you can but cut my head off.

This expression is used to signify that the ultimate authority or the highest order must be obeyed without question. It implies that once a final decision or a supreme command is given, there is no further room for argument or appeal. In a historical or administrative context, it refers to an order that is absolute.

A mantra without Omkara, wisdom without authority

This expression refers to things that are incomplete or ineffective despite their inherent quality. Just as a mantra is considered spiritually powerless without the 'Om' sound, wisdom or talent is often seen as ineffective or useless in a social or professional context if the person possessing it lacks the authority or position to implement it.