ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
പൊട്ടച്ചക്കിനു പുണ്ണൻകാള”
— English Translation:
For a cracked oil-press, a sore-ridden bullock. (A pathetic match of defective assets; pairing one broken, dilapidated tool with another.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പെറ്റവൾ ഉണ്ണുന്നതുകണ്ടു വറടികാതംപറഞ്ഞാൽ ഫലമെന്തു”
— English Translation:
What is gained if the barren woman travels leagues gossiping out of spite at seeing the nursing mother feast? (Malicious envy and slander against another's well-earned blessings accomplish nothing and only reveal inner bitterness.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പൊക്കാളിവെച്ചാൽ വക്കാണം ഉണ്ടാം”
— English Translation:
Cultivating Pokkali wetland paddy brings bitter brawls. (Farming shared, tide-washed saline wetlands inevitably leads to constant boundary disputes and watercourse quarrels.)

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— English Translation:
When the mother who bore you dies, your own father becomes like a distant uncle. (The loss of a mother dissolves the warm core of domestic affection, often leaving maternal orphans estranged even from their father.)

“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:
പൂവട്ടത്തലെക്കും തന്നിഷ്ടത്തിനും ചികിത്സയില്ല”
— English Translation:
There is no medicine for a bald pate, nor for headstrong obstinacy. (Willful self-arrogance and natural physical incurabilities are completely beyond remedy or reason.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പൂളം കൊണ്ടുപാലമിട്ടാൽ കാലംകൊണ്ടറിയാ”
— English Translation:
If you build a bridge out of spongy wood, time will reveal its weakness. (Shoddy materials and superficial craftsmanship will inevitably fail when tested by time and weight.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പൃഷ്ഠം നന്നെങ്കിൽ മുഖം ആകാ”
— English Translation:
Even if the backside looks fair, it cannot serve as the face. (A base or secondary part cannot substitute for the noble, primary countenance; each thing has its proper dignity and place.)