తన అన్నం తాను తింటూ, తన గుడ్డ తాను కట్టుతూ ఊరికి భయపడవలెనా

This proverb emphasizes the importance of boundaries and rules. Just as a field requires a bund (gattu) to retain water and protect the crop, a community or village requires collective discipline and social order (kattu) to function harmoniously and remain united. It is used to stress the need for regulation in any organized system.

This proverb describes a situation where a person's own actions, decisions, or words inadvertently lead to their own downfall, trouble, or restriction. It is used when someone creates the very tools or circumstances that others eventually use against them.

This proverb describes a situation where a person is completely self-sufficient and independent, yet still allows themselves to be oppressed or mistreated by someone else who has no authority or right over them. It is used to highlight the absurdity of tolerating abuse or dominance when one is not dependent on the abuser for anything.

This is a famous moral teaching from Vemana Satakam. It suggests that self-control is the greatest virtue. Uncontrolled anger causes harm to oneself more than others, acting as an internal enemy, while maintaining a peaceful and calm composure serves as a shield against life's troubles.

This proverb highlights the inefficiency and loss associated with managing tasks or assets from a distance. Just as working as a laborer or farming land in a distant village involves high costs, travel time, and lack of direct supervision, the expenses and efforts end up consuming the person's resources ('eating them up') rather than providing a livelihood or profit ('you don't eat them'). It is used to advise against taking up ventures where one cannot exercise direct control or where overheads exceed returns.

This expression is used when someone's malicious plans against others backfire and cause them harm instead. It is the Telugu equivalent of 'falling into one's own trap' or 'being hoist with one's own petard'.

This expression is used to mock someone who is already a burden themselves but tries to take on or bring along another responsibility. It highlights the irony of a person who cannot take care of themselves properly yet ends up with an additional dependent or task.

This expression is used to emphasize that God or a divine entity does not need worldly, material offerings like food and clothes for His own sake. It is often cited to suggest that such offerings are purely for the devotee's satisfaction or that true spirituality lies beyond material rituals.

This proverb highlights the inefficiency and loss involved in managing work or assets far from one's residence. It suggests that laboring for others in a distant place or trying to manage agriculture in a different village results in more exhaustion and expense than actual profit or benefit. It is used to advise people to focus on local opportunities where they can supervise and sustain themselves better.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone's own actions, decisions, or words lead to their own downfall or trouble. It is similar to the English idioms 'digging one's own grave' or 'being the architect of one's own misfortune.'