స్తంభం చాటువాడొకడు, అదే పోతగాడు ఒకడు, పోతే రానివాడు మరొకడు.

stambham chatuvadokadu, ade potagadu okadu, pote ranivadu marokadu.

Translation

One who hides behind a pillar, one who goes like that, and one who goes and never returns.

Meaning

This is a traditional riddle (podupu katha) describing the process of a human birth and death. It refers to the father (pillar), the child (coming into the world), and the soul or life breath (which never returns once it leaves). It is used to describe the cycle of life and the transience of human existence.

Related Phrases

One person builds the temple, another person places the lamp in the niche.

This proverb describes a situation where one person puts in the hard work and resources to establish something significant, while another person takes over the easier, daily maintenance or claims the credit/benefits. It is used to highlight the disparity between the founder and the beneficiary.

One who goes on the path is one person, and one who eats the abuses is another.

This proverb describes a situation where one person commits a mistake or minding their own business, but an innocent third party ends up facing the blame or consequences. It is used to highlight injustice or a mix-up where the wrong person is punished.

One earns, while another calculates.

This proverb describes a situation where one person works hard to earn wealth or resources, while someone else (often an idle person or an inheritor) spends, manages, or simply keeps track of that wealth. It is used to highlight the contrast between the person doing the labor and the person enjoying or controlling the benefits.

One person earns, while another person counts (calculates).

This expression is used to describe a situation where one person works hard to earn wealth or resources, while another person (often someone lazy or opportunistic) takes charge of managing, spending, or calculating that wealth without having contributed to the effort. It highlights the disparity between the laborer and the beneficiary.

One person plants the tree, another person enjoys the fruit.

This proverb refers to situations where the person who performs the hard work or takes the initiative is not the one who eventually reaps the benefits or rewards. It is often used to describe generational efforts, inherited wealth, or situations where one's labor benefits someone else entirely.

If one person pulls the trunk, another pulls the branch.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where multiple people are working at cross-purposes or interfering with each other's work. It highlights a lack of coordination where one person's actions are countered or complicated by another's unnecessary involvement, leading to inefficiency or failure.

A king has three servants - one who doesn't answer when called, one who hides behind pillars, and another who simply goes away.

This is a humorous proverb or riddle describing useless or lazy subordinates. It is used to mock a situation where a leader is surrounded by incompetent people: one who ignores instructions, one who avoids work by hiding, and one who simply disappears when needed.

A persistent wanderer, a back-talker, and one who hides behind a pillar.

This traditional expression describes three types of difficult or unreliable people: those who constantly roam without purpose, those who are argumentative or talk back defiantly, and those who are cowardly or deceptive by hiding from responsibilities and confrontations. It is used to characterize individuals who lack discipline or integrity.

One who hides behind a pillar, one who goes away, and one who never returns once gone.

This is a riddle describing the three main functions of a human being: The pillar-hider is the body (which stays in one place), the one who goes is the breath (inhaling and exhaling), and the one who never returns once gone is the life force or soul (Atma). It is used in philosophical or spiritual contexts to reflect on the transient nature of life.

One person dreams of millions, while another counts the stitches.

This expression describes a situation where there is a massive gap in perspective or scale between two people. While one person is thinking about grand, ambitious goals (millions), the other is obsessively focused on trivial, minute details (stitches). It is used to highlight a lack of coordination or a mismatch in priorities within a task or partnership.