ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
പോരുന്നോരെ പോരുമ്മ, പോരാത്താളുടെ ചന്തിമേൽ”
— English Translation:
Worthy rivals face the front of battle; the blows fall on the backsides of cowards. (True warriors meet danger face to face, while cowards and weaklings suffer humiliation as they flee.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പൊൻസൂചിയുള്ളവനു ഇരിമ്പുസൂചിയും ആവശ്യപ്പെടും”
— English Translation:
Even he who owns a golden needle will find need for an iron needle. (Refined luxury cannot replace practical everyday utility; common tools remain indispensable.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പൊൻസൂചിയെങ്കിലും കണ്ണിൽകുത്തരുതു (കൊണ്ടുകുത്തിയാലും കണ്ണുപോകും)”
— English Translation:
Even if it is made of pure gold, do not poke the needle into your eye (it will blind you just the same). (Harm is still deadly even when delivered by a precious, attractive, or high-status source.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പൊട്ടൻ പറഞ്ഞതു പട്ടെരിയും വിധിക്കും”
— English Translation:
What the simpleton said, the learned Bhattathiri will ultimately decree. (Even an unlettered person can stumble upon obvious truth, which the highest authorities eventually validate.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പൊരുത്തങ്ങളിൽ മനപ്പൊരുത്തം മതി”
— English Translation:
Among all astrological compatibilities, the harmony of minds is sufficient. (Mutual love, emotional understanding, and shared purpose surpass all ritual horoscope matchings.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പെറ്റവൾക്കറിയാം പിള്ളവരുത്തം”
— English Translation:
Only the mother who gave birth knows the pain and struggle of having a child. (Only those who have personally endured the labor and sacrifice truly understand the true cost of an endeavor.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പെറ്റവൾ ഉണ്ണുന്നതുകണ്ടു മച്ചി കൊതിച്ചാൽ കാര്യമൊ”
— English Translation:
Is there any point in a barren woman envying the rich feast served to a nursing mother? (Coveting the rewards and privileges of achievement without having borne the toil and pain that earned them is futile.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പെറ്റതള്ളക്ക് തവിട് ഇടിക്കയില്ല, ആരാന്റെ തള്ളെക്ക് ഇരുമ്പിടിക്കും”
— English Translation:
Unwilling to pound soft rice bran for one's own mother, but ready to forge heavy iron for a stranger's mother. (Neglecting simple, vital duties toward one's own family while exerting back-breaking labor to win favor from outsiders.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പെറ്റതെല്ലാം മക്കളും നേടിയതെല്ലാം ധനവുമല്ല”
— English Translation:
Not all who are born are true children, nor is all that is accumulated true wealth. (Numbers do not guarantee worth; ungrateful progeny bring grief, and perishable hoardings do not equal real security.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പേടി അകം പുക്കാൽ കാടകംസ്ഥലം പൊരാ”
— English Translation:
Once fear enters the heart, even the depths of the wild forest offer insufficient room to hide. (When gripped by internal terror, no external sanctuary feels vast or safe enough.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പേടിക്കുകാടുദേശം പോരാ”
— English Translation:
For chronic cowardice, an entire country of forests is not large enough. (A fearful mind can never find a hiding place secure enough; the dread lives within, not in the terrain.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പേടിക്കുടലനു മീശ എന്തിനു”
— English Translation:
Why does a spineless coward need a bristling mustache? (An outward display of ferocious masculinity is laughable on someone utterly devoid of inner grit.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പെണ്മൂലം പെരുവഴി”
— English Translation:
Cast onto the open road on account of a woman. (Bankruptcy and homelessness resulting from ruinous romantic entanglements or domestic misjudgment.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പേടും പിടിയും”
— English Translation:
A doe and a cow-elephant. (An odd, absurd mismatch; pairing two creatures of totally incompatible scale, temperament, and size.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പെരിയോരു വന്നാൽ പൃഷ്ഠം കൊടുക്കണം”
— English Translation:
When elders or great persons arrive, offer your seat with deference. (Showing proper reverence and yielding space before those of superior wisdom and stature.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പേട്ടുമരത്തേലും തേനിരിക്കും”
— English Translation:
Even inside a barren, hollow tree, wild honey can be found. (Sweetness, virtue, and valuable surprises can dwell even within seemingly sterile and unpromising places.)