తండ్రిని చంపిన పాపం అత్తవారింటికి పోయి అంబటి కట్ట తెగే వరకు వణికితే పోతుంది
tandrini champina papam attavarintiki poyi ambati katta tege varaku vanikite potundi
The sin of killing one's father goes away if one goes to the in-laws' house and trembles until the porridge bundle breaks.
This is a sarcastic or satirical proverb used to mock people who seek trivial or impossible 'penance' for heinous crimes. It also highlights the historical notion that a son-in-law is often nervous or treated with excessive formality at his in-laws' house, to the point where even his trembling is exaggeratedly described. It implies that some sins are unforgivable or that some solutions offered are ridiculous.
Related Phrases
అత్తవారింటికి అల్లుడైనా కావాలి, ఆబోతైనా కావాలి.
attavarintiki alludaina kavali, abotaina kavali.
To the mother-in-law's house, one should go either as a son-in-law or as a bull.
This proverb is used sarcastically to describe someone who expects to be pampered and fed without doing any work. In traditional Telugu culture, a son-in-law is treated with extreme hospitality and never asked to work, while a 'Basavanna' (sacred bull) is fed and revered without labor. It is used to mock lazy individuals who overstay their welcome and expect royal treatment.
తండ్రిని చంపబోయిన పాపము అత్తవారింటికి పోయి అంబటికట్ట తెగేవరకు ఉంటే పోను.
tandrini champaboyina papamu attavarintiki poyi ambatikatta tegevaraku unte ponu.
The sin of intending to kill your father will be effaced if you go to your mother-in-law's house and stay there till the porridge dish is burst. A man was in the habit of telling his friends when they enquired how his son progressed with his studies that he was very stupid and idle. This he did from a superstitious dread of his son being struck by the evil eye of an envious person if he praised him. The son, not understanding his father's motive and being greatly irritated, determined to kill him. He got upon a beam over his father's couch and was about to drop a large stone on his head when he fortunately overheard him explaining to his mother the reason of his strange conduct. The boy then came down and fell at his father's feet confessing his murderous intentions and begging for for- giveness and to be shown a way of expiating his sin. The father replied to him in the words of the Proverb, telling him he was to remain in his mother-in-law's house until the porridge dish was broken. He went, and after having been paid the usual attentions for a day or two was afterwards treated with rudeness and fed with poor fare. At last the butter milk was one day poured so roughly into his porridge that the side of it gave way. He was then released from his expiatory ordeal and returned home rejoicing!
This is a humorous and sarcastic proverb used to describe the difficulties and loss of respect a man faces when he stays for an excessively long time at his in-laws' house (Illarikam). It suggests that the humiliation and hardship endured there are so severe that they could compensate even for the gravest of sins.
పదను పోయిన కత్తి, అదును పోయిన సేద్యం
padanu poyina katti, adunu poyina sedyam
A knife that has lost its sharpness, and farming that has missed its season.
This proverb emphasizes the importance of timing and readiness. Just as a blunt knife is useless for cutting, farming becomes futile if the right season or opportunity is missed. It is used to convey that actions must be taken at the appropriate time to be effective.
ఒకరిని ఇద్దరిని చంపితేనేగాని, వైద్యుడు కాడు.
okarini iddarini champitenegani, vaidyudu kadu.
A man is no Doctor until he has killed one or two [patients.]
This proverb is used to highlight that expertise comes from experience, often involving costly mistakes or failures along the way. In a more cynical sense, it suggests that beginners in any profession may inadvertently cause harm while they are still learning their craft.
Said to a bungling tyro. If the doctor cures, the sun sees it ; if he kills, the earth hides it.
అత్తా ఒకరింటి కోడలే
atta okarinti kodale
The mother-in-law was herself once a daughter-in-law. The mother-in-law forgets that she was a daughter-in-law. (Spanish.)
This proverb is used to remind people in positions of power or authority to be empathetic toward their subordinates. It specifically highlights that every mother-in-law once experienced the struggles of being a daughter-in-law, suggesting she should treat her own daughter-in-law with kindness and understanding based on her own past experiences.
పొరుగూరికి పోతే పోతుందా పాపం?
poruguriki pote potunda papam?
Will your sins vanish if you go to a neighboring village?
This proverb emphasizes that one cannot escape the consequences of their actions or their internal guilt simply by changing their location. Physical movement doesn't provide moral absolution. It is used to point out that a person's problems or character flaws follow them wherever they go.
పిల్లిని చంపిన పాపం నీది, బెల్లం తిన్న పాపం నాది
pillini champina papam nidi, bellam tinna papam nadi
You take the sin of killing the cat, I'll take the sin of eating your molasses. Said by a stingy Kômati to a Brahman priest to whom he had presented tha cheapest possible offering that would expiate the sin he had committed by killing a cat, viz., a little image of a cat made of molasses, which he afterwards was greedy enough to take back again and swallow.
This expression is used to describe a situation where someone hypocritically tries to equate a major transgression with a minor or harmless act. It highlights a person's clever but unfair way of shifting blame or normalizing their own small gains while others face the consequences of serious mistakes. It is often used to mock someone who tries to share 'blame' in a way that actually benefits them.
ఆరో కాన్పు ఆడపిల్ల అత్తవారింటికి లక్ష్మి
aro kanpu adapilla attavarintiki lakshmi
The sixth-born daughter is a Goddess Lakshmi to her in-laws' house
This is a traditional Telugu saying which suggests that a woman who is the sixth child in her birth family brings immense prosperity, luck, and wealth to her husband's family after marriage. It is used to highlight the auspiciousness of such a bride.
కుక్కను చంపిన పాపం గుడి కట్టినా పోదు
kukkanu champina papam gudi kattina podu
The sin of killing a dog cannot be expiated even by building a temple.
This expression is used to emphasize that certain misdeeds or cruel acts are so grave that no amount of subsequent good deeds, charity, or religious penance can atone for them. It highlights that the consequences of a fundamental wrong cannot be easily erased by superficial acts of virtue.
అలిగి అత్తవారింటికి, చెడి చెల్లెలింటికి పోరాదు.
aligi attavarintiki, chedi chellelintiki poradu.
Do not go to your in-laws' house out of anger, and do not go to your sister's house when you are ruined.
This proverb advises maintaining self-respect and social dignity. Going to an in-law's house while angry (after a fight at home) diminishes one's respect there, and going to a sister's house after losing one's wealth or status can become a burden and strain relationships. It emphasizes that one should avoid seeking refuge in places where their presence might lead to humiliation or awkwardness during times of vulnerability.