ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
എല്ലാമാരയാനും തണ്ടിന്മേൽ, ചങ്കരമാരയാൻ തൊണ്ടിന്മേൽ”
— English Translation:
Every drummer rides upon palanquin poles, while Shankara the drummer perches on a dried coconut husk. (The unfair irony where all peers enjoy honors while the luckless individual gets scraps.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എഴുകോൽ പുരയിൽ എൺകോൽ കന്തം”
— English Translation:
An eight-cubit ridgepole for a seven-cubit house. (An absurd disproportion where an oversize part overwhelms the structure it was meant to fit.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എല്ലാരും തേങ്ങാഉടെക്കുമ്പൊൾ ഞാൻ ഒരു ചിരട്ട എങ്കിലും ഉടെക്കെണ്ടയൊ”
— English Translation:
When everyone is cracking whole coconuts in devotion, shouldn't I at least break an empty coconut shell? (Eagerly imitating the grand gestures of others according to one's own meager capacity.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എഴുന്ന ഊക്കിനു തുള്ളിയാൽ ഊരരണ്ടുമുറി”
— English Translation:
Leaping on a sudden, reckless surge of impulse will snap your waist in two. (Rash action taken without gauging personal capability brings crippling ruin.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എല്ലാരുമുണ്ടു ചെല്ലാടമില്ല”
— English Translation:
The entire crowd has gathered, but there is no betel pouch to serve. (A grand gathering where the essential hospitality or central supply has been overlooked.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എല്ലാരും പല്ലക്കേറിയാൽ ചുമപ്പാനാളവേണ്ടെ”
— English Translation:
If everyone rides in the palanquin, who will be left to carry the poles? (If everyone insists on being a chief, no one is left to do the work.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എല്ലാവർക്കും ഒരു അക്കരെ അമ്പലംവേണം”
— English Translation:
Everyone longs for a temple situated on the opposite shore. (Human nature always yearns for what is distant, romanticized, and difficult to reach.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എല്ലാവരോടും ഹിതങ്ങൾ പറയണം”
— English Translation:
Speak words that are kind and agreeable to all. (Gentle, benevolent speech preserves harmony in all human relationships.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എല്ലാമറിഞ്ഞവനുമില്ല, ഒന്നും അറിയാത്തവനുമില്ല”
— English Translation:
No one knows everything, and no one knows nothing. (Nobody possesses complete omniscience, yet everyone possesses some share of insight.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എല്ലുമറിയ പണിതാലെ പല്ലുമുറിയ തിന്നാവു”
— English Translation:
Only if you work until your bones ache can you feast until your teeth break. (Back-breaking labor is the prerequisite for enjoying a feast; no sweat, no sweet.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എളിയവൻ പറിക്കുന്നതു എ(ഇ)ലക്കറി”
— English Translation:
What the poor man gathers is wild leafy greens. (The destitute must make do with whatever humble sustenance is freely available in nature.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എയ്പാൻ വിചാരിച്ചതു് നാശങ്ങളും ചെയ്യും”
— English Translation:
What was aimed as an arrow can unleash widespread destruction. (Reckless schemes and words loosed in haste often cause far more devastation than intended.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എലിപിടിക്കുംപൂച്ച കലവും ഉടെക്കും”
— English Translation:
The cat that hunts the rat is bound to shatter a few pots along the way. (Aggressive problem-solvers often cause collateral damage while getting the job done.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എരിച്ചോൻ കോഴ പറിച്ചെന്നാക്കരുതു”
— English Translation:
Do not claim that the one who burned down the place merely pulled out a stray firebrand. (Do not whitewash grave destruction as a minor, harmless accident.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചട്ടി, വിട്ടി = ഷഷ്ഠി, വിഷ്ഠി”
— English Translation:
[Linguistic gloss from source text: Clarifies that "Chatti" and "Vitti" in proverb #564 refer to Shashti and Vishti, inauspicious astrological timings.]

“Malayalam Proverb:
കോഴ = കൊള്ളി; എരിഞ്ഞുനിൽക്കുന്ന തീയിൽ എണ്ണ ഒഴിക്കുംപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like pouring oil onto a blazing fire. (Gloss notes that "Kozha" means a burning brand; worsening an already furious conflict.)