తాలు కంకి గింజలోయ్ దాసరి అంటే, రాలిన వాటికే గోవిందా అన్నాడట

talu kanki ginjaloy dasari ante, ralina vatike govinda annadata

Translation

When told 'The ear of grain is hollow/empty, O Dasari', he replied 'Govinda to those that have already fallen'.

Meaning

This proverb describes a person who tries to cover up their loss or failure with forced optimism or indifference. It is used when someone loses something valuable or realizes a venture is failing, and they pretend as if they never cared for it or that the loss was inevitable anyway. 'Govinda' here is used as an expression for 'gone' or 'lost forever'.

Related Phrases

That which is in the paddy is rice. Said to an inquisitive person.

This expression is used to highlight the obvious origin of something or to indicate that the core essence (the rice) is hidden within a shell (the husk). It serves as a metaphor for looking beyond the external covering to find the true value or substance inside.

When asked why he was plucking green ears of grain, the Dasari replied, 'Govinda to those that fall'

This proverb is used to describe a person who is careless, irresponsible, or indifferent to waste and damage. It depicts a situation where someone tasked with a job performs it so poorly or recklessly that they dismiss the resulting loss with a casual, religious exclamation, rather than taking accountability for their actions.

When one says 'In the house, Narayannamma', the other says 'Go, Govinda'

This expression is used to describe a situation where there is a total lack of coordination or communication between two people. When one person says something, the other gives a completely irrelevant or opposite response, leading to a situation where nothing gets accomplished due to the disconnect.

When a fly falls into the raw gruel, the monk says 'whatever fell is dedicated to Lord Rama'

This expression is used to describe a person who pretends to be generous or sacrificial only when something is already lost, ruined, or of no use to them. It mocks the act of making a virtue out of necessity or masking a loss as a voluntary donation.

When said 'Stay, Narayanamma', she replied 'Go, Govinda'.

This proverb describes a situation where there is a complete lack of coordination or communication between two people. It is used when one person's words or actions are entirely irrelevant or contrary to what another person has said, often implying a stubborn or dismissive attitude.

When someone went to work as a laborer for a small measure (kunchedu) of grains, calves ate up a larger measure (thumedu) of grains at home.

This proverb describes a situation where a person suffers a large loss while chasing a very small gain. It is used to mock poor planning or misplaced priorities where the effort to earn something tiny results in neglecting and losing something much more valuable.

When told to pluck a milky grain ear, the beggar said only the fallen ones are for God.

This proverb describes a person who is extremely lazy or unwilling to put in even the slightest effort. When someone is offered an opportunity that requires a tiny bit of work (like plucking a grain), they respond by saying they will only take what has already fallen on the ground, showing a complete lack of initiative.

Govinda's jumps for beauty

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone performs awkward, unnecessary, or excessive actions in an attempt to look beautiful or impressive, but ends up looking ridiculous or failing to achieve the desired grace.

When asked, 'Will you eat cotton seeds, Basavanna?', he said 'Aha!' (Yes); when asked, 'Shall I tie the bag of seeds to you, Basavanna?', he said 'Oohu' (No).

This proverb describes someone who is eager to enjoy the benefits or rewards of a task but is unwilling to take on the labor or responsibility associated with it. It is used to mock people who want freebies but refuse to work for them.

When told 'The hollow grain is gone, Oh Dasari', he replied 'Only as much as it fell is Govinda'.

This proverb describes a situation where someone tries to mask a failure or a loss as a voluntary act of devotion or indifference. It is used when someone loses something worthless or faces a minor setback and pretends they offered it to God or didn't care about it anyway to save face.