English
Like sprinkling grains of rice over an empty house. Pochillu is a superstitious rite in which a man having thrown grains of rice on a neighbour’s house, listens for any words he can overhear, and elicits a meaning from them. A profitless proceeding. 1934. ^5£3 6 ef)5b^)Oo ^oo<^o, s5tf^y&d3§ ‘SoSo^)<oo ISoo&b. a The barren cow bellows much, and in the year of drought there is much thunder. Muck smoke and little roast . ( Italian. >• All talk and no go. 1935. So&’oo £>o£ex> ^5-C5b^^5o. If you accuse others falsely, you will be accused truly in turn. 1936. s!P<bex> tSj^&b^'ST 75 . eo oo eo ^ Will empty words fill bellies 1 (See Nos. 658, 1349, 1711.) We must assist in deeds not in words. (Latin.)t Words don't fill the belly. < Portuguese, )+ • Molto fumo, e poco arrosto. t Re opitulandum non verbis* t Palavras nao enchein barriga. ( 334 ) TELUGU PROVERBS. 1937. t9oooli, SfasooQS If the person who serves the food is your friend, your sitting at the end wont matter. A friend in court makes the process short. 1938. "Soo&a: esooooll &So<£oo Cb Cb By seeking usury, the principal suffers; if the wife be blind, the pots suffer. 1939. 555b /^“SeT 6 Like putting a bandicoot in a corn bin. 1940. Z5-°Xtf o3oo£ £>ej>§ eS-OySS. The basket must bake in the sun with the paddy. ( See Nos. 250,1240. ) Sharing the sufferings of others. 1941. S5<& oooTT* €3<>$b. CO Though the heap of rice be carried away by the flood, there will be no damage from the rain. Though one suffer many will be benefited. 1942. She was thinking so much of the coloured cloth she had put on, that she did not know that she had been bitten by a mad dog. Engrossed in pleasure, and blind to danger. 1943. s5<35r*8£Soo Though he is old he is still a fop. es o^er € § v ^J-c5o^S'. 1944. S5<| s5oogb, ^sSr^Co^TT^ £b£55bo£o 55bogb. Interest is sweeter than the principal; a grandson is dearer than a son. 1945. £&§ a£p&36 o$g-5r°7T'‘. A Is one rain for paddy and another for Udal ( For Uda see No. 303. ) ‘ [ God~\ scndeth rain on the just and on the unjust .’ Matthew v. 45. Impartiality. 1946. £)8§ ^r=5", <5^e'& sSxrS'. A stream for a rice-field, a troop for a chief. 1947. 5^) ■53 _ °£) ^£<^£ 00 . When his uncle’s daughter wanted to marry him, he ex¬ cused himself on the plea that she was not of the right affinity. Proudly refusing, because it was voluntarily offered, a good thing which at another time would have been thankfully accepted. Note. Among Hindus ( especially Komatis ) it is obligatory for a man to marry his maternal uncle’s daughter if there be one. 1948. 55^^$ ■5T°&j r _KS S5"0£b. Visvamitra must have himself called a Brahmarshi from the mouth of Vasishtha- Vasishtha was a celebrated priestly sage ( Brahmarshi). Visvamitra, once a king, had by penance become a royal Rishi ( R&jarshi ) but persisted in austerities until Vasishtha was compelled to acknowledge him as a Brahmarshi. ( See Balakcinda of the Ramayana .*—Also Muir’s Sanscrit Texts Part. I. ) snatpT ^gfrfT: II < 336 N ' TELUGU PROVERBS. 1949. ■^T’Ogb 887V 3 They are like fire dogs. (See Nos. 469,1283*—For Polvkatirdllu see No. 1549.) Bosom friends. 1950. oF°§0 ‘S5" t> £3 oT°tfF^$ o3oot>5 5£n>tf <55b^^>. •V ’ Like a man asking when he had just got outside his door, how far off Benares was. Talking about the completion of a great undertaking before you have well commenced it. 1951. $£n> £ 0 }6S> ooo 53 A o<b S^PSoAcxb When an ill-treated daughter-in-law at last got some bad food from her mother-in-law, she told the neighbours she had been sumptuously fed. Real want is not dainty. / 1952. vr 3 ^ £A0?5 g'sT&xy T^rSbod. Like the crew of a wrecked ship. In a miserable plight. Said of something sudden and alarming. 1953. ~oT°Zisyj~ xj £) ^d*£5b<L>^, ftXw'lS ?S^ c^<J5bej As long as he was on board his ship, he was “ Ship Mallappa” as soon as he landed he was “ Bald-headed Mallappa.” 43 ( 337 ) £3 OO . 1954. -^£6* 7T° rSXo ^Tooo^. My half areca nut is in the ship, brother! A merchant was returning to his country in a ship which he had laden with areca-nuts. A friend on board cunningly dropped half of a nut which he was eating into the hold, exclaiming “ My half nut is iff the ship, brother!” The merchant laughing replied that he would restore it, on which the other, pretending to carry on the joke, made him give a bond to the effect that his half areca-nut was in the ship. The phrase also could be construed as meaning that half the areca-nuts in the ship were his. On arriving at their destination the merchant was prosecuted by the swindler and cheated out of half his cargo. Said of a clever cheat. 1955. zS&ti&uvo. What has a harlot to do with degrees of relationship, and good manners 1 Vavi signifies those degrees of relationship within which cohabitation is incest. 1056- -ST’S S5S £-Ov5S. CO -u) His business has come into the niche. (See No. 1937. ) He is on his last legs. 1957. £>£) Hej> CO His business has dawned. (See No. 1955. ) He’s blown up. He has shut up his shop windows. 1958. sSj-o^o &o<&! oft, iiefoScr* es^^ooS. His speech will answer for flour or for a thunderbolt. Said of ail ambiguous speech. TELUGU PROVERBS. 1959. ~zr°£$o es£o, ~^r^d> What he dances is a dance, what he sings is a song. (See Nos. I960, 1990. ) 1960. r“i2b &&& ^3-°Sg<£bo. What he says is Yasishtha’s dictum. (For Vamht/ia see No. 1948-See Nos. 1959,1990.) 1961. o^s^ar i^8,sYooo;5a. When he mocked you where were you maimed 1 Words break no bones. 1962. *tf 8 ffsS l5aS>. There is no loss by rain, or poverty with a husband. 1963. ■sy-STT-S'is, o3o£8§ ^©dSbabb. The coming of rain, and the going of life, are known to none. Sorrow an ’ ill weather come unsent /or. < Scotch.) Death keeps no calendar. 1964. ^Kf> KbaJ, sfr-^sr., ^ zStv&tt 3 . If it rains, will brands disappear 1 If children be born will adultery be discontinued I ’ 1 1965. srstaj Sa&ifrotoO, S'tSyuo WJo&okJD. Rain will fall, frogs will croak. Said of any thing which must be expected as a matter of course ( 339 ) 1966. s 5|3l^aSoNb. A thunderbolt without ruin. A useless thing. 1967 . sr^ ^^ S ' His business is flourishing greatly, even to the extent of begging alms. A sarcastic speech used with reference to the downfall of a bad man. 1968. In his house neither Ili nor Bali is offered. (See-Nos. 286,364,2027.) . IW „ rains ot law rice religiously offered to ants, &c. Ill is applied t g before commencing Bali is the food given in the same manner to crows a meal. He'll flay a flint. Dogs run away with whole shoulders. 1969. A peg for the rafter. (See Nos. 735, 1231,1668,1698,1816.) A well matched pair. 1910. *° 15ex> If you listen, listen to the Bharata; if you eat, eat cakes. ( 340 ) TELUC.U PROVERBS. 1971. Sotf&O essSi)06 I There is no yawn without a wonder. * Prataparudrudu king of Orugallu, (Wurrangal) had a very sagacious minister, by name Yugandkarudu, who was summoned by the Sultan to be employed in his court. The king refusing to send him, was taken prisoner and confined in the capital. His faithful minister having declared that he ^jrould rescue him and bring him back openly, went disguised to the capital and there feigning madness, ran daily through the streets calling out “ Ho ! I /\ am going to take away Oruganti Pratfiparudrudu.” The Sultan, suspecting that his madness was assumed, caused him to be watched. The spies dis¬ covered that he cooked under a tree at midnight, and a man was concealed in the tree to watch him when he thought himself alone. According to his custom the minister came at midnight to cook his food, and while doing so, yawned. He immediately thought to himself that there must be some cause for this, and glancing furtively up the tree perceived the spy. He then said in a loud voice ‘ There is nt yawn without a wonder,’ and commenced breaking his pots and acting the mad man.- The minister was then reported as reaHy mad and his ravings were unheeded. Shortly afterwards a ship laden with valuables, was sent by the minister’s con¬ trivance to the port. The Sultan hearing this, was anxious to inspect the cargo, and being informed that the imprisoned king was a connoisseur in gems ordered him to be brought with him on board the vessel. The minister also managed to get on board and while the Sultan was engaged in examining the precious stones, caused the anchor to be weighed. The Sultan then learnt the trick that had been played upon him and commending the sagacity of the minister, pardoned both him and the king, who returned rejoicing to Orugallu.* * A somewhat different version of the story is given in the Madras Church Missionary Record for October 18G5 by the Rev. F. W. N. Alexander:— “ 1 could get very little information from my informant about this ancient king, one thing only is certain that in his days the Mohammedans invaded this part of India and besieged Wurrangal, but the Fort was not taken in his days. The story told to me by several people is very contradictory and unlikely in many respects. The most credible version seems to be, that Wurrangal was besieged by the Padasha of Delhi in person, and for 7 years the assailants were baffled by the thickness of the walls : nd by the supplies raised within the Fort itself from the large space enclosed by the walls. Failing in this way, they at last took the king by stratagem. The Mohammedans feigned a desire for peace and decoyed Pra- tftparudrudu outside the gates on pretence of making peace, and then seized him in a chariot and carried him off to Delhi and kept him there many days. Meanwhile things went on badly in Wurrangal.