ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
മോറ്റിനു വന്നോർ പശുവില ചോദിക്കരുത്”
— English Translation:
Those who came merely asking for buttermilk should not inquire about the price of the cow. (A humble petitioner seeking a small favor should not pry into massive private assets and matters beyond their station.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മൂർഖൻ പാമ്പു കടിച്ചിട്ടു പുല്ലിൽ തേച്ചാൽ പോകുമോ”
— English Translation:
If bitten by a deadly cobra, will rubbing the wound on grass draw out the venom? (Applying trivial, superstitious remedies to lethal, emergency crises accomplishes nothing and only guarantees death.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മോഹം ന്യായം അറികയില്ല”
— English Translation:
Blind lust knows neither justice nor propriety. (Uncontrolled craving and infatuation are completely blind to fairness, law, reason, and moral consequence.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മൂവർകൂടിയാൽ മുറ്റം അടിക്കാ”
— English Translation:
If three people share the chore, the front courtyard remains unswept. (Too many cooks spoil the broth; divided responsibility leads to complete neglect as each assumes another will do the work.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മൗനംകൊണ്ടു മദവാനെയും ജയിക്കാം”
— English Translation:
Through composed silence, even a furious rogue tusker can be subdued. (Dignified, unyielding calm disarms aggressive, violent hostility far more effectively than shouting matches.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മൂലം മറന്നാൽ വിസ്മൃതി”
— English Translation:
If the origin is forgotten, oblivion follows. (He who forgets his ancestral roots, foundational ideals, and early benefactors is destined for moral blindness and ruin.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
യഥാരാജ, തഥാപ്രജാ”
— English Translation:
As is the king, so are the subjects. (The moral character, discipline, and integrity of leadership inevitably shape the standards and behavior of the entire population.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മുളിയവീട്ടിൽ തീക്കുപോകരുത്”
— English Translation:
Do not go to a destitute, grumbling household to borrow embers. (Never seek loans, favors, or assistance from people who are themselves impoverished, resentful, and bitter.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മൗനം സർവ്വോത്തമം”
— English Translation:
Silence is supreme above all. (Silence is golden; keeping quiet preserves inner peace, conceals shortcomings, and prevents unnecessary conflict.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മെത്ത മേൽ കിടന്നാൽ വിദ്യയുണ്ടാകയില്ല”
— English Translation:
Lounging upon a soft mattress will never yield true learning. (Knowledge and mastery demand austere self-discipline, sleepless toil, and hard sacrifice; luxury and indolence breed ignorance.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മെല്ലനെ ഒഴുകും വെള്ളം കല്ലിനെ കഴിയെ ചെല്ലും”
— English Translation:
Gently flowing water wears down and cuts through the hardest rock. (Patient, persistent, and quiet endeavor overcomes the most stubborn and immovable obstacles; constant dripping wears away the stone.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മെല്ലെ തിന്നാൽ മുള്ളും തിന്നാം”
— English Translation:
If eaten slowly and carefully, one can eat even thorny bones. (With patience, measured caution, and deliberation, even the most hazardous or difficult tasks can be handled without injury.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മുള്ളിന്മേൽ ഇലവീണാലും ഇലമേൽ മുളളുവീണാലും നാശം ഇലെക്കു”
— English Translation:
Whether the leaf falls upon the thorn or the thorn falls upon the leaf, the injury is always to the leaf. (The fragile and defenseless always bear the damage when clashing with sharp, ruthless power, regardless of who initiated the contact.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മൂത്തോരെ ചവുട്ടിയാൽ മൂന്നിടം പഴുക്കും എളയോരെ ചവുട്ടിയാൽ ഏഴിടം പഴുക്കും”
— English Translation:
If you kick an elder, three sores will fester; if you kick a child, seven sores will fester. (Dishonoring age brings guilt, but persecuting the young, innocent, and defenseless invites far heavier moral condemnation and karmic punishment.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മുളെക്കുമ്പോളറിയാം കുരുപ്പിന്റെ ഉറപ്പ്”
— English Translation:
The strength of the shoot is known as soon as it sprouts from the seed. (Inborn mettle, true resilience, and underlying constitutional defects show themselves right at the inception of an enterprise.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മൂത്തോർവാക്കും മുതുനെല്ലിക്കയും മുമ്പിൽ കൈക്കും പിന്നെ മധുരിക്കും”
— English Translation:
The counsel of elders and an aged Indian gooseberry: bitter to the taste at first, but sweet thereafter. (Wise correction and hard truths seem astringent and unpleasant initially, but yield lasting health, sweetness, and prosperity in the end.)