ఉండేవాళ్లంతా ఉండగా, ఉపాధ్యాయుడి భార్యకు దడిబియ్యం.
undevallanta undaga, upadhyayudi bharyaku dadibiyyam.
[To perform the ceremony of] Dadi Biyyam to the priest's wife when there are many other things to be done. Dadi Biyyam is a ceremony performed before the consummation of marriage. Going out of your way to do something for others, and neglecting much that you have to do of your own.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where credit, resources, or honors are given to someone who is irrelevant or least deserving, while the people who actually did the work or have the primary right are ignored. It highlights the irony of misplaced priorities or favoritism.
Related Phrases
వైద్యుని భార్యకే భగంధర రోగము.
vaidyuni bharyake bhagandhara rogamu.
The doctor's wife herself suffers from fistula.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where an expert or a professional is unable to help their own family members or solve problems in their own household, despite helping others in the same field. It is similar to the English proverb 'The shoemaker's children go barefoot.'
గాదె నిండా బియ్యము ఉంటే, కరువు కాలాన నా భార్యనూ పిల్లలనూ నేనే రక్షిస్తానన్నాడట.
gade ninda biyyamu unte, karuvu kalana na bharyanu pillalanu nene rakshistanannadata.
He said that he himself would support his wife and family in dearth and in plenty, so long as the bin was full of corn.
This proverb mockingly refers to people who display false bravery or self-reliance only when they are already in a secure position. It highlights that anyone can boast about taking care of responsibilities when resources are abundant, but true character or capability is only tested in times of real scarcity.
ముడి బియ్యం తింటే ముప్పు గడుస్తుందా?
mudi biyyam tinte muppu gadustunda?
If one eats unpolished rice, will danger pass?
This proverb is used to criticize people who focus on trivial or small-scale changes (like diet) while ignoring major, imminent threats or problems. It implies that minor precautions cannot avert a significant calamity.
ఉట్టిమీద వెన్న ఉండగా, ఊరంతా నేతికి దేవులాడనేల?
uttimida venna undaga, uranta netiki devuladanela?
While there is butter in the net why hunt through the whole village for ghi ?
This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone searches far and wide for something they already possess or have easy access to at home. It highlights the irony of overlooking immediate resources while desperately seeking them elsewhere.
ఉపాధ్యాయులవారూ ఉక్తం ఉక్తం
upadhyayulavaru uktam uktam
O teacher, uktam! uktam ! Said by a school-boy when he saw a board about to fall on his master's head. He had been taught to render the Sanscrit word Uktam by Palaka baddadi (" it was said" ). These words also signify "the board has fallen," which the boy took to be the correct meaning of the Sanscrit word. Applied to an ignorant blunder.
This expression is used to mock someone who blindly repeats what an authority figure says without understanding the logic or context. It originates from a story where a student agrees with a teacher's statement even when the teacher contradicts himself, highlighting sycophancy or blind obedience.
* Del vero s'adira l'uomo. † Veritas odium perit.
శ్వాస ఉన్నంత వరకు ఆశ ఉంటుంది
shvasa unnanta varaku asha untundi
As long as there is breath there is hope.
This expression is used to signify that one should never give up or lose hope as long as they are alive. It emphasizes resilience and the possibility of change or success even in the most difficult circumstances, suggesting that life and hope are inseparable.
జంగానికి బిడ్డలు పుట్టితే, ఊరికి ఉపాధి.
janganiki biddalu puttite, uriki upadhi.
If children are born to a Jangam they are only an annoyance to the village. Because they will add to the number of beggars. The Jangams are the Vira Saivas or followers of the Hindu reformer Basava. Beggars breed, and rich men feed.
This proverb is used in a sarcastic or cynical sense to describe a situation where someone's personal burden or expansion becomes a collective responsibility or a source of nuisance for others. Since Jangamas traditionally lived on alms, more children meant more people asking the villagers for food and support, ironically framed here as 'employment' or 'work' for the providers.
ఉన్నదంతా ఉండగా, ఉపాధ్యాయులవారి భార్య సమర్తాడిందట
unnadanta undaga, upadhyayulavari bharya samartadindata
While everything was already present, the teacher's wife reached puberty.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone adds an unnecessary or poorly timed burden to an already chaotic or difficult situation. It refers to a person who creates extra trouble or demands attention for something insignificant (or poorly timed) when there are already plenty of other problems to deal with.
ఉపాధ్యాయుల వారు ఏం చేస్తున్నారు అంటే రాసిన తప్పులు దిద్దుకుంటున్నారట
upadhyayula varu em chestunnaru ante rasina tappulu diddukuntunnarata
When asked what the teacher is doing, they said he is correcting the mistakes he wrote himself.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone who is supposed to be an expert or a guide makes basic mistakes and spends their time fixing their own errors instead of helping others. It satirizes incompetence in positions of authority or expertise.
జయము ఉండే వరకు భయము లేదు.
jayamu unde varaku bhayamu ledu.
As long as fortune favours you, you have nothing to fear.
This expression implies that as long as a person is successful or winning, they do not feel or show any fear. It is used to describe a state of confidence or even overconfidence that persists only during a winning streak, or to suggest that success acts as a shield against anxiety.