Marta Kya Na Karta

# 81

March 12, 2021

Today’s Hindi proverb (कहावत) is:

मरता क्या न करता?

(Transliteration: Marta kya na karta?)

Literal translation: What won’t the dying do?

Desperate Situation

Figurative meaning: A person who is in a desperate situation will not hesitate to do anything to help himself.

Usage in a sample sentence:
सुरेश ईमानदार था। कभी चोरी नहीं किया। लेकिन मरता क्या न करता? तीन दिन भूखा रहने के बाद अब अचानक खाना सामने पडा मिला तो उसने चुराके खा लिया।

(Transliteration: Suresh imandar tha. Kabhi chori nahi kiya. Lekin marta kya na karta? Teen din bhuka rehne ke baad ab achanak khana samne pada mila toh ussne churake kha liya.)

Translation: Suresh was honest. Never stole. But what wouldn’t the dying do? After going hungry for three days, now suddenly he found food lying in front of him, so he stole it and ate.  

Origins of the proverb: Our limits are tested when we are thrown into a desperate situation from which there seem to be no escape. In such situations, we tend to resort to anything to save ourselves, even resorting to things we would otherwise consider taboo. The Hindi word “marta” alludes to a person about to die. A dying person (or someone who is faced with life-or-death situation) is thought of as being in a very desperate situation. This proverb applies to such a person, who will not shy from trying anything to save himself.