gAdegaLu

halliddAga kaDle illa; kaDle iddAga hallilla

(There are no nuts when one has teeth and there are no teeth when there are nuts).

Munching nuts is a sign of prosperity. It is frustrating that one is poor when the youth to enjoy the riches is abundant whereas when one finally gets rich the faculties to enjoy are gone.

hALUrige uLidavanE GouDa

(One remaining in a ruined village is its chairman).

A dig at people in power at weak institutions.

hanigUDidare haLLa; tenegUDidare batha

(Drops join to make a stream; ears combine to make a crop).

i.e. Little drops of water make a mighty ocean.

hADidde hADO kisubAyi dAsA

(Sing the same song again, grin-mouthed beggar).

A rude putdown of those who keep repeating the same argument.

hAsige iddashTu kAlu chAchu

(Stretch your legs as far as the bed is)

This is a warning to live within one’s means.

hettorige hegNa muddu, kUDidorige kOdaga muddu

(A bandicoot is lovely to his parents; a mule is pretty to its mate).

This is a wacky statement of the somber truth: Love is blind.

hiriyakkana chALi mane makkaLigellA

(The big sister’s habits are for all the kids in the family).

The underlings follow the leader, especially his bad traits.

hithala giDa maddalla

(The plant in the backyard is not a medicinal herb).

Familiarity breeds contempt.

hoLe nIrige doNenAykana appaNe Eke?

(Who needs the approval of a city official for the water from a stream?)

This is a rudimentary opposition to taxation and control of things taken for granted in a village life.

hosataralli agasa gONi etti etti ogeda.

(When he was new, the washerman beat the jute bag repeatedly).

People who are new on the job work eagerly and enthusiastically until they find their way and slack off.

Clothes were washed in villages by Dhobis who took them to a lake, soaked them and bet the hell out of them on a rock to rid of the dirt. The amount of beating was inversely proportional to the value of the cloth. A jute bag hardly deserved attention except by one who was new to the job.

hosa vaidyanigintha haLe rOgine mElu

(An old patient is better than a new doctor).

This stems from a suspicion of inexperienced and untested people with education vis a vis wise, familiar and old fellows of dubious qualifications.

hoTTege hiTTilladiddarU juTTige mallige hUvu

(There is no food to eat but there is jasmine in the crown).

Wearing jasmine in the hair is considered elegant for women, especially on their way to a temple or a wedding party. Dressing beyond one’s means is frowned upon as a sign of false pride.

huTTisida dEvaru hullu mEyisuttaneye?

(Will the God who brought us to the world make us graze on grass).

This proverb mouths faith and optimism in the face of adversity.

huchhu munDe maduveyalli unDavanE jaNa

(In the wedding of the mad widow one who has a meal is the clever one).

This earthy saying implies that one who manages to get by in a wild and chaotic situation deserves compliments.

hUvina jote nAru svarga sErithu.

(The string used to tie the flowers also reached heaven).

Those who are in the company of the noble will reap the benefits by association.

iddaddu idda hAge hELidre, siddappanige siDilu hoDeyitu.

(When facts are said as they are it was like the striking of lightning for Siddappa).

This is a dig on those who cannot take criticism and throw tantrums.

jana maruLO jAtre maruLO

(Are people stupid or the crowd stupid?)

This proverb bemoans the irrational behavior of normal people in large crowds.

jaTTi biddarU mIse maNNAgalilla

(The wrestler fell but his moustache did not get soiled).

Moustache is a sign of pride. One who manages not to lose face despite defeat gets such compliment.

kai kesarAdare bAyi mosaru.

(If the hand gets muddied the mouth gets curds).

Hard work begets rewards. Incidentally curds (yogurt) are associated with a good meal and hence prosperity.

kAryavAsi katte kAlu kaTTu

(If you need a job to be done be prepared to fall at the feet of a donkey).

keTTa mEle buddhi bantu, aTTa mEle ole uriyitu

(Got wisdom after being ruined, the stove caught fire after the cooking was done).

In olden days the earthen stove (ole) used dried cowdung cakes to burn and it was no mean task to get it going. The dawn of wisdom after it is too late is often compared to the frustration with the stove which was too slow in becoming functional.

konkaNa suthi mailArakke banda hAge

(It is like circling Konkan to reach Mailar).

Those who do even a simple thing in a roundabout manner deserve this proverb.

kOpadalli koyda mUgu shAntiyalli baruttadeye?

(Will the nose cut in anger recover in calmness?)

Rash acts done in anger lead to damages which cannot be undone.

kOthi kaige mANikya kotta hAge

(It is like giving a gem to a monkey).

When undeserving or unqualified people are given valuable tasks such snide comments are made of them.

kOti tAnU keDOdalde vanAnU keDisitu

(Not only did the monkey ruin himself, he also ruined the garden).

This warns one not to meddle with those who can bring down their detractors with them.

This proverb is a bit mischievous because the reference is to Hanuman who set fire to large parts of Lanka on his mission to find Sita who was under house arrest. In fact he succeeded in his mission to deliver a message of hope to her and intimidate her abductor. His tail was set on fire by Ravana to which Hanuman paid back by torching his palaces.

koTTaddu tanage; bachchiTTaddu pararige.

(What is given is for you and what is hidden is for others).

The virtue of charity and the evil of greed are emphasized here.

koTTavanu kOdangi, iskondavanu Irabhadra

(The one who gave is a mule, one who got it is a winner).

This proverb is in contrast to the previous one. It suggests that it is better to get the best deal under bad circumstances than trying to be fair and patient. You may end up with nothing in the bargain.

kumbaLakAyi kaLLa andre hegalu muTTi nODida.

(When the word "thief of gourd" was said, he touched his shoulder to see.)

One with a guilty conscience needs no accuser.

kumbAranige varusha; doNNege nimisha.

(It is a year for the potter and it is a minute for the stick).

It is easier to destroy than to build.

kuNiyalArada sULe nela donku andaLante

(The harlot who could not dance said that the ground was uneven).

This is a dig on those who find excuses for their incompetence. This proverb comes from a time when women of ill repute, supported by the aristocracy, were expected to sing and dance to please their rich customers.

kUsu huttOke munche kulAvi holisidaru

(They got a cap stitched even before the baby was born).

This is a reference to things done prematurely.

This proverb goes back to a time when infant mortality was very high and people postponed getting things for children until they were born and were in reasonable health. Clothes, toys etc. of children were a painful reminder to the bereaved parents. It was even considered a bad omen to prepare excessively for a child before its birth.

kaige banda tuttu bAyige baralilla.

(The food which came to the hand did not come to mouth).

There is many a slip between the cup and the lip.

Here the imagery is one of a child being fed by a mother who makes balls of rice mixed with curry (tuttu). This is an intimate moment of great joy and satisfaction for the child. It could lead to great unhappiness if the ball did not reach the mouth.

kaiyalli sharaNarthi, kankuLalli doNNe.

(Hands are folded but there is a stick under the arms).

This is a warning about those who speak softly but carry a big stick to strike when you least expect.