వాన వచ్చినందుకు వంకపారిందే గుర్తు.
vana vachchinanduku vankaparinde gurtu.
The stream flowing is the only proof that it rained.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where a significant event or person is only remembered or acknowledged because of a specific visible result or a lingering effect, rather than the event itself. It can also imply that someone only receives credit when a tangible outcome is seen.
Related Phrases
తెల్లవారి లేచినందుకు దోవ తప్పినందుకూ సరి.
tellavari lechinanduku dova tappinanduku sari.
Waking up early and losing the way offset each other.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where the effort put into a task is rendered useless by a subsequent mistake or hurdle. It highlights that the benefit gained from starting early or working hard was nullified because the person ended up going in the wrong direction or making a fundamental error, resulting in no net progress.
వగలేని మొగుడా పగలెందుకు వచ్చినావంటే, అందుకు కాదులే అగ్గికి వచ్చినా నన్నాడట.
vagaleni moguda pagalenduku vachchinavante, anduku kadule aggiki vachchina nannadata.
When she asked, 'O husband with no charm, why did you come during the day?', he replied, 'Not for that, I just came for some fire.'
This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone tries to hide their true intentions or feelings with a silly or weak excuse after being snubbed or rejected. It highlights awkward attempts to save face when one's presence or actions are questioned.
కాపు వచ్చిన ఏడే కరువు వచ్చినది.
kapu vachchina ede karuvu vachchinadi.
The famine came in the very year that the cultivator came to the village. An unfortunate coincidence.
This proverb describes a situation of extreme bad luck or irony where success and disaster occur simultaneously. It is used when a long-awaited positive outcome or reward is immediately neutralized or ruined by an unexpected calamity, leaving no chance to enjoy the fruits of one's labor.
రాచరికానికి జందెపు పోచా గుర్తు?
racharikaniki jandepu pocha gurtu?
Is a sacred thread the sign of royalty?
This proverb is used to suggest that true nobility or status is recognized by one's character and actions, rather than outward symbols or religious markers like a sacred thread. It highlights that external appearances do not define inner merit or true leadership.
ముందు వచ్చినందుకు మున్నూరు వరహాలు దండుగ, మళ్లీ యేల వచ్చినావే మాయధారి తొత్తా
mundu vachchinanduku munnuru varahalu danduga, malli yela vachchinave mayadhari totta
When you came before you cost me three hundred pagodas, why have you come again, you deceitful jade ? A man married a bad wife. After getting 300 pagodas' worth of jewels from him she went off to her mother's house and left her husband to shift for himself. After some time, the jewels having been sold and the proceeds spent, she returned to try her old trick, whereupon the husband accosted her as above.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where a previous interaction or investment resulted in a significant loss, yet the source of that loss returns to cause further trouble. It is typically used to express frustration toward someone who has already caused harm or waste and is now reappearing, implying that their presence is neither wanted nor beneficial.
తిండికి వచ్చావా? తీర్థానికి వచ్చావా?
tindiki vachchava? tirthaniki vachchava?
Have you come to eat or to visit the shrine ?
This expression is used to question a person's priorities or motives when they seem more interested in superficial benefits (like food) rather than the primary purpose or spiritual significance of an event (like receiving holy water at a temple). It is often used to chide someone who is distracted by secondary perks.
కళ్యాణము వచ్చినా కక్కు వచ్చినా ఆగదు
kalyanamu vachchina kakku vachchina agadu
When marriage comes, or vomiting, it cannot be stopped.
This proverb is used to indicate that certain events in life are inevitable and beyond human control once they are set in motion. Just as a physical urge like vomiting cannot be suppressed, significant life events like marriage will happen when the time is right, regardless of attempts to delay or stop them.
కోడలు వచ్చిన వేళ, కోడెలు వచ్చిన వేళ
kodalu vachchina vela, kodelu vachchina vela
The time the daughter-in-law arrived, the time the young bulls arrived.
This proverb is used to comment on coincidences, specifically when a new arrival in a family (like a daughter-in-law) is blamed or credited for significant events (like the birth of livestock or changes in fortune) that happen shortly after. It highlights how people often link luck or misfortune to a person's entry into the household.
బిడ్డ వచ్చిన వేళ, గొడ్డు వచ్చిన వేళ.
bidda vachchina vela, goddu vachchina vela.
The time when a child arrives, and the time when cattle arrive.
This proverb highlights that certain arrival events, such as the birth of a child or the purchase/arrival of livestock, are seen as significant markers of fate. It is used to describe how the timing of these events is often associated with the subsequent prosperity or misfortunes that befall a family, suggesting that the 'auspiciousness' of their arrival time influences the household's future.
వచ్చిన వాడు చచ్చినా పోదు.
vachchina vadu chachchina podu.
Calumny is not removed even by death.
This expression is used to describe a deeply ingrained habit, trait, or skill that stays with a person throughout their lifetime. It suggests that once something is learned or becomes part of a person's nature, it is nearly impossible to change or get rid of it.
Slander leaves a slur. Give a dog an ill name, and you may as well hang him.