సోదిచెప్తే సోదమ్మి, మంత్రమేస్తే మంత్రగత్తె

sodichepte sodammi, mantrameste mantragatte

Translation

If she tells fortunes, she is a fortune-teller; if she casts spells, she is a sorceress.

Meaning

This proverb describes a fickle or judgmental society that labels individuals based on their current actions or whatever role is convenient at the moment. It is often used to highlight how people change their perception or labels for someone based on the circumstances or the specific task being performed.

Related Phrases

Words are mantras, and plants are medicines.

This expression emphasizes that the way one speaks can be as powerful as a magic spell or a healing remedy. It suggests that kind or wise words have the power to solve problems and heal emotional wounds, just as natural herbs and plants serve as medicine for physical ailments.

Is there the same mantra for a lightning bolt and a child?

This expression is used to highlight that different problems require different solutions. It suggests that one cannot apply the same logic, treatment, or punishment to vastly different situations—specifically contrasting something as powerful and destructive as a lightning bolt (pidugu) with something as delicate as a child (bidda).

Like asking someone to recite evening prayers while they are dying.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone gives impractical, ill-timed, or pedantic advice during a critical crisis. It refers to a person focusing on trivial rituals or formalities when immediate life-saving action or empathy is required.

To the great person who has mastered their mind, why are there any more mantras or rituals?

This expression suggests that self-control and mental mastery are the ultimate spiritual achievements. It implies that for someone who has absolute control over their thoughts and desires, external rituals, religious chants, or complex ceremonies become unnecessary as they have already reached the highest state of consciousness.

Experience is the scripture, words are the mantras.

This expression emphasizes that practical experience is the truest form of knowledge, more reliable than any book. It suggests that if one has wisdom through experience, their words gain the power and influence of sacred chants (mantras). It is used to highlight the importance of practical wisdom over theoretical learning.

The secret of a house is the ruin of Lanka

This proverb highlights that internal secrets or family disputes, when leaked to outsiders, can lead to total destruction. It refers to the Ramayana, where Vibhishana revealing Ravana's secrets led to the downfall of Lanka. It is used to advise people to keep their private matters within the family to avoid external exploitation.

[ He has ] one Mantra for the thunderbolt and for the rice. Hindus believe that repetition of the ten names of Arjuna అర్జునః ఫల్గునః పాథకాః కిరీటీ శ్వేతవాహనః | బీభత్సో విజయః కృష్ణః సవ్యసాచీ ధనంజయః || drives away thunderbolts. An ignorant Brahman is said to have repeat- ed this Ślôka when receiving a dish of raw rice. Applied to impostors.

This proverb describes a situation where a person uses a single, rigid solution or approach for vastly different problems. It highlights the absurdity of applying the same logic to a dangerous, sudden event (lightning) as one would to a mundane, everyday task (preparing rice). It is used to mock incompetence or an oversimplified approach to complex issues.

Is there only one mantra for both a lightning strike and for rice?

This expression is used to criticize someone who tries to apply the same solution or logic to two completely different and unrelated problems. It highlights that different situations require different approaches; you cannot treat a dangerous disaster (lightning) and a daily necessity (rice) with the same ritual or remedy.

Is it the same spell for a small blister and a giant ghost?

This proverb is used to criticize someone who applies the same simple solution to problems of vastly different scales. It suggests that a small remedy (suitable for a 'budda' or small boil) is insufficient for a massive problem (a 'bhutam' or ghost), highlighting the need for proportional responses.

Reciting evening prayers while dying?

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone attempts a remedy or starts a ritual far too late to be of any use. It highlights the futility of performing actions at the very last moment when the situation is already beyond repair or when death/failure is imminent.