ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
പട്ടണം ചുട്ടു പകലിറങ്ങി ഇനി എന്തിനാ മകളെ മുട്ടാക്കു”
— English Translation:
The town is burned to ash and broad daylight has broken; why bother with a veil now, daughter? (When total catastrophe has occurred and everything is exposed, clinging to bashful pretenses is pointless.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പണക്കാരൻ ഈറ്റയൻ എന്നും അഭ്യാസി കുടിലൻ എന്നും കരുതരുതു”
— English Translation:
Do not assume that every rich man is a miser, or that every martial expert is treacherous. (Avoid hasty prejudices; material wealth does not guarantee stinginess, nor does physical power imply malice.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പട്ടരു പുലിയെ കണ്ടതു പോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like the timid priest catching sight of a tiger. (Frozen in petrified, breathless terror before an overwhelming, lethal threat.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പണംകൊണ്ടറിഞ്ഞെങ്കിലെ പണത്തേൽകൊള്ളൂ”
— English Translation:
Only if one has learned the hard way through money will one truly value wealth. (Only through personal handling, managing losses, and financial struggle does one truly grasp the value of money.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പട്ടർക്കുണ്ടൊ പടയും വിനയും പൊട്ടർക്കുണ്ടോ വാക്കും പോക്കും”
— English Translation:
Does a scholar-priest engage in war and feud, or does a deaf-mute engage in speech and travel? (People are bound by their innate callings and limits; do not expect martial fury from intellectuals or eloquence from the mute.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പണത്തിനുമീതെ പരുന്തും പറക്കയില്ല”
— English Translation:
Even an eagle will not fly above money. (Money reigns supreme over all worldly affairs; no power or height is beyond the sway of wealth.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പട്ടർക്കെന്താ പടയിൽ കാർയ്യം”
— English Translation:
What business does a priest have on a battlefield? (One should not meddle in arenas where one's background, training, and temperament have no place.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പണമരികെ ഞായം(ന്യായം) മലയരികെഉറവു”
— English Translation:
Justice stands beside wealth, just as a freshwater spring flows beside the mountain. (Legal justice and fairness naturally lean toward the rich, just as mountain springs follow the terrain.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പട്ടർ പാടുവന്നപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like the strange predicament that befell the priest. (Finding oneself caught in an absurd, unmanageable bind wholly alien to one's habits.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പട്ടാണി തൊട്ട ആന പോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like an elephant handled by an Afghan mahout. (Kept under fierce, unyielding discipline and absolute submission by a formidable master.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പട്ടാൽ തിരിയും പറയനുക്കു”
— English Translation:
Only when struck with a blow does the laborer understand. (Coarse, stubborn temperaments grasp lessons only through painful, direct consequences rather than reasoned advice.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പകലരിക്കു കിട്ടാത്തതാ രാത്രിയിൽ നെല്ലിനു”
— English Translation:
What could not be secured for milled rice by day, seeking paddy for it at night? (Failing under the most favorable circumstances makes it foolish to expect success under far worse conditions.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പഞ്ചസാര ഇരുട്ടത്തും മധുരിക്കും”
— English Translation:
Sugar tastes sweet even in the pitch dark. (Genuine virtue, quality, and truth remain consistent and delightful regardless of external visibility or circumstances.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പകലെല്ലാം തപസ്സുചെയ്തു, രാത്ര്യിൽ പൈംകുരാലിയുടെ കണ്ണുകുത്തും (പശുവിന്റെ കണ്ണുതിന്നും)”
— English Translation:
Meditated in penance all day, only to gouge out the heifer's eye (or devour the cow's eye) by night. (Sanctimonious hypocrisy; putting on a pious show by day while committing monstrous deeds under cover of darkness.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പകൽ കക്കുന്ന കള്ളനെ രാത്രിയിൽ വെച്ചെക്കുമൊ”
— English Translation:
Will the thief who robs by broad daylight spare anything at night? (Someone brazen enough to commit crimes openly will indulge in even worse villainy under the cloak of darkness.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പകൽ കക്കുന്ന കള്ളനെ രാത്രിയിൽ കണ്ടാൽ തൊഴണം”
— English Translation:
If you meet the daylight thief in the dark of night, you must bow down to him. (When dealing with a brazen rogue under conditions that completely favor him, humble deference is a matter of survival.)