The phrase portrays poverty as a profound and overwhelming condition affecting every aspect of life, leading to feelings of powerlessness, fear, and hopelessness. The first terrible condition that dictates poverty is shortage of food. A poor person unable to get the basic food for them. Highlighting worst state of being poor, Sanskrit quoted ;
घृतं न श्रूयते कर्णे दधि स्वप्नेऽपि दुर्लभम् |
मुग्धे दुग्धस्य का वार्ता तक्रं शक्रस्य दुर्लभम् ||
Ghrutam na shrooyate karne dadhi svapnopi durlabahm. Mugdhe dugdhasya kaa vaartaa takram shakrasya sdurlabahm.
Ghrutam = ghee (a product of milk produced by heating butter and cooling it afterwards).
Na = not.
Shrooyate = is heard.
Karne = the ears.
Dadhi = curd.
Svapnepi = svapne + api.
Svapne = in the dreams.
Api = even.
Durlabham = difficult to get.
Mugdhe = an ignorant and silly person.
Dugdhasya = of the milk's .
Kaa = what ?
Vaartaaa = talk about.
Takram = buttermilk.
Shakrasya = of the Arjuna tree.
(Arjuna tree botanical name Tarminalia arjuna) is a a native of India. Its extract traditionally prepared as a concoction resembling milk is used in iindigenous medicine doe treatment of various diseases).
i.e. Oh fool! You have never heard the name of ghee with your ears and you have not seen curd even in your dreams. Then what can I tell you about milk when even buttermilk which is as juicy as the milk which flows from the Arjuna tree is rare for you.
Poor people struggle to obtain food due to insufficient income to afford it. Through this proverb, the plight of a very poor and neglected person in society has been described in an exaggerated manner. The poor were even deprived to get the extracts of trees and plants. If the common and easiest means were unavailable for them, then what to say of milk and its products, which comes with a price (cost). It is a terrible situation, but such a situation is still seen everywhere in our society.