తాతా సంధ్యవచ్చునా అంటే, ఇప్పుడు చదువుకొన్న నీకే రాకపోతే, అరవైఏళ్ళ క్రింద చదువుకొన్న నాకు వచ్చునా అన్నాడట.

tata sandhyavachchuna ante, ippudu chaduvukonna nike rakapote, aravaiella krinda chaduvukonna naku vachchuna annadata.

Translation

When a grandson asked 'Grandfather, do you know how to perform the Sandhya prayer?', the grandfather replied 'If you who are studying now don't know it, how would I know it when I studied sixty years ago?'

Meaning

This proverb is used to mock those who make excuses for their ignorance or forgetfulness by blaming the passage of time. It highlights the irony where someone expects an elder to remember something that even the younger person, who is currently learning, has failed to grasp. It can also refer to situations where knowledge is lost across generations due to lack of practice.

Related Phrases

Before being educated he said 'pasulu' (cattle), and after being educated he said 'pachulu'.

This proverb is used to mock someone who tries to show off their education or status by artificially changing their pronunciation, but still gets it wrong. It refers to a person who, while illiterate, correctly called cattle 'pasulu', but after getting an education, tried to sound sophisticated by saying 'pachulu' (which is incorrect), proving that their learning is superficial and they have only acquired pretentiousness rather than true knowledge.

I have become acquainted with all the secret mysteries of learning. The allusion is to the story of Prahlâda son of Hiranyakaśipa. The words of the Proverb are found in the Telugu translation of the Bhâgavata Purâṇa, (but not in the Sanscrit original,) as having been used by Prahlâda to his father.—(See Vishnu Purâṇa Book I, Chapters 17—20.) Said of a man who pretends to be learned.

This expression is used to mock someone who boasts about having complete knowledge or mastery over a subject, often used in a sarcastic context when the person's actions or actual knowledge suggest otherwise. It highlights overconfidence and pretentious behavior regarding one's learning.

Your Guru learnt from my pupils. Said in a disputation between two rival Pandits.

This expression is used to challenge someone's superiority or arrogance. It implies that the lineage of knowledge or skill of the speaker is much older and superior to that of the listener, suggesting that the listener's masters are merely novices compared to the speaker's tradition.

Sixty years have passed; am I to do without learning? An ironical speech. An old dog will learn no tricks.

This is a sarcastic expression used to describe people who use their age or seniority to pretend they are knowledgeable or wise, even when they are clearly ignorant. It highlights the irony of someone claiming that their advanced age is proof of their education or competence, despite showing no actual skill.

* Bha pueri senes.

" O grandfather! do you know your Sandhyâ,” [ asked a boy ]; " If you who have just learnt it don't know it, can I who learnt it sixty years ago remember it?" [ replied the old man. ]

This proverb is used to mock people who use their age or the passage of time as an excuse for their ignorance or for forgetting basic skills. It highlights a situation where someone who should be experienced and knowledgeable tries to justify their lack of knowledge by comparing themselves to the younger generation's failures.

Before studying he said 'Vara Vara', and after studying he said 'Vada Vada'.

This proverb is used to mock someone whose education or learning has not improved their wisdom or has actually made them more confused or foolish. It describes a situation where despite putting in the effort to learn, the person remains ignorant or produces nonsensical results, often misapplying their knowledge.

I am sixty years old; if I don't read (or learn) now, will I be rolling in the mud?

This expression is used to signify that it is never too late to learn or do something important. It implies that age should not be a barrier to self-improvement or education, and suggests that without continuous learning, one's life or intellect might go to waste.

When asked 'Son-in-law, when did you arrive?', he replied 'Shall I tell you about the Vadas cooked last night?'

This proverb is used to describe someone who inadvertently reveals a secret or exposes their own guilt while trying to answer a simple question. It refers to a situation where a person's guilty conscience or preoccupation with a hidden act leads them to give an irrelevant, self-incriminating answer.

Will he not die of studying once he turns sixty!

This is a sarcastic expression used to mock someone who starts learning something or attempts to change their behavior far too late in life. It implies that the person wasted their youth and that their current efforts are futile or ridiculous given their age.

Even to an educated person, only a farmer must provide food.

This proverb emphasizes the fundamental importance of agriculture and the farmer's role in society. It suggests that regardless of one's education, status, or intellectual achievements, everyone is ultimately dependent on the hard work of the farmer for their basic survival.