విసరురాయి గాలికి కొట్టుకుపోతే, విస్తరాకు సంగతి చెప్పాలనా?

visarurayi galiki kottukupote, vistaraku sangati cheppalana?

Translation

If a heavy grinding stone is blown away by the wind, do we even need to mention the fate of a leaf plate?

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe a situation where even the strongest or most stable things are failing or being destroyed, making the plight of smaller or weaker things obvious and inevitable. It highlights that if a powerful entity cannot withstand a calamity, a weak entity has no chance at all.

Related Phrases

If he were here, he would at least stitch the leaf platter.

This proverb is used to describe someone who was unproductive or useless while alive, but is now being remembered with exaggerated importance or false hope by others. It mocks the act of attributing potential skills or value to someone after they are gone, when in reality, they contributed very little.

When told not to come to the feast, asking them to bring the leaf plate.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone is explicitly unwelcome or rejected from a core activity, yet they are still expected to perform chores or provide service for that same activity. It highlights the irony and unfairness of excluding someone while still trying to exploit their labor.

Like tying leaf plates back onto the tree

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone attempts to fix or undo something that is already broken, finished, or irreversibly changed in a way that is unnatural or futile. It refers to the impossible task of making a cut leaf part of the living tree again.

When crowbars themselves are being blown away by the wind, a leaf plate asked 'What will happen to me?'

This proverb is used to describe a situation where even the strongest or most powerful entities are suffering or failing, making the concerns of the weak or insignificant seem obvious yet trivial. It highlights a scale of disaster where if the indestructible is perishing, the fragile has no hope.

If the grain of rice is lost, life is lost

This expression highlights the vital importance of food security and agriculture. It signifies that even a single grain of rice represents sustenance, and without food (the means of survival), one's very existence is at risk. It is often used to emphasize the value of hard work, the importance of not wasting food, or the critical nature of one's livelihood.

If one's own mother kicks and snatches it away, one must hit her with a slipper to get the bowl back.

This proverb is used to describe a situation of extreme desperation or a total breakdown of relationships and ethics. It implies that when your own protectors or family members turn against you and take away your means of survival, you have no choice but to resort to extreme, even disrespectful, measures to reclaim what is rightfully yours or to survive.

When boasting went with the wind, the egg touched the ground.

This proverb is used to mock someone who makes grand, empty boasts but fails when it comes to basic reality or performance. It implies that once the pretentious talk (the wind) disappears, the person's true, humble, or ineffective status is revealed. It is often used to describe people who talk big but have nothing to show for it.

Sorghum says: If Chitta rains, Swati looks kindly, and Vishakha does not blow away, I will yield a Puttedu for every Visa.

This is a traditional agricultural proverb related to the rainy season and the harvest of Jowar (Sorghum). It explains the ideal weather conditions needed during specific lunar mansions (Nakshatras) for a bumper crop. 'Chitta' needs rainfall, 'Swati' should be cool/pleasant, and 'Vishakha' should not have heavy winds that knock the grain down. If these conditions are met, even a tiny amount of seed (Visa) will yield a massive harvest (Puttedu).

Like a thrown stone flying away with the wind

This expression is used to describe an outcome that was achieved purely by chance or luck rather than by skill or intentional effort. It suggests that a success happened accidentally, similar to a heavy stone being carried off by a breeze.

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.