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.
Related Phrases
పోయిన కంటికి మందు వేస్తే, ఉన్న కన్నూ ఊడ్చుకొని పోయింది
poyina kantiki mandu veste, unna kannu udchukoni poyindi
When he applied medicine to his bad eye, the sight of the other eye was lost.
This proverb describes a situation where an attempt to fix a problem or recover a loss ends up causing even more damage or losing what little was left. It is used when a remedy is worse than the disease or when a risky move results in a total loss.
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.
అత్తవారిల్లంటే కత్తులబోను.
attavarillante kattulabonu.
The mother-in-law's house is like a cage of knives.
This proverb describes the traditional challenges and extreme caution a daughter-in-law often felt she had to exercise in her marital home. It signifies a place where one must behave very carefully, as any small mistake could lead to criticism, conflict, or emotional injury, much like walking through a cage lined with sharp blades.
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.
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.
పాపం ఉంటే భయం, పల్లం ఉంటే నీళ్లు
papam unte bhayam, pallam unte nillu
Where there is sin there will be fear, where there is low ground there will be water.
This proverb highlights natural consequences. Just as water naturally flows and settles in low-lying areas (slopes), guilt or fear naturally follows a person who has committed a wrong act. It is used to describe how a guilty conscience is always fearful of being caught or punished.
కాటికి పోయినా కాసు తప్పదు.
katiki poyina kasu tappadu.
Even if one goes to the cremation ground, the coin is inevitable.
This proverb highlights the persistent nature of greed or the inevitable burden of taxes and expenses. It refers to the tradition of placing a coin on a deceased person's body or paying a fee at the funeral pyre, implying that financial obligations or worldly attachments follow a person until the very end.