ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
തേവർ ഉണ്ടെങ്കിൽ തേക്കിലയും ഉണ്ണും”
— English Translation:
If the deity is pleased, he will feast even off a rough teak leaf. (True grace and magnanimity accept even the humblest offering given with sincerity; elaborate pomp is unnecessary.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തോണിയുരുളും തുഴയറിയാഞ്ഞാൽ”
— English Translation:
The canoe will surely capsize if you do not master the oars. (Lack of fundamental skill and navigational competence leads straight to disaster in any enterprise.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തേവിയാൻ കടിച്ചാലും അന്തിക്കത്തെ ചോറുമുട്ടും”
— English Translation:
Even if only a harmless water snake bites, the evening meal is ruined. (Even an innocuous fright or trivial alarm creates enough domestic commotion and taboo to derail daily life.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തോളിൽഇരുന്നു ചെവിതിന്നരുതു”
— English Translation:
Do not sit perched upon someone's shoulders and gnaw at their ears. (Never abuse, pester, or exploit the patron who is graciously carrying your weight.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തേറിയോനെ മാറല്ല, മാറിയോനെ തേറല്ല”
— English Translation:
Never cast aside the one whose loyalty is proven, and never place trust in the one who has once deserted you. (Cherish steadfast, tested companions, and never rely on a turncoat.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തോറ്റപുറത്തു പടയില്ല”
— English Translation:
There is no further battle after surrender is declared. (Once an adversary admits defeat, honor demands that hostility cease; never strike a fallen foe.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തൊട്ടാലൊട്ടി ചവിട്ടിത്തേച്ചപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like grinding a clinging earwig under your heel. (Thoroughly crushing and stamping out an insidious, creeping nuisance once and for all.)

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— English Translation:
The haritaki fruit is equal to ten loving mothers. (An ancient Ayurvedic adage celebrating the incomparable, nourishing, and detoxifying virtues of chebulic myrobalan.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തൊട്ടാവാടി നട്ടുവളർത്തണമൊ”
— English Translation:
Does anyone need to plant and cultivate the touch-me-not plant? (Prickly, hypersensitive, and troublesome natures flourish and spread everywhere without any encouragement.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ദർഭെ, കുശെ, ഞാങ്ങണ, മുട്ടിയപക്ഷം വയ്ക്കൊലെ”
— English Translation:
Sacred darbha grass, kusha grass, river reed, and in dire extremity, even humble straw. (Practical ritual adaptability: when preferred holy materials are unavailable, make do with whatever humble substitute is at hand.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തൊട്ടിലിൽശീലം ചുടയിലെ മാറു”
— English Translation:
Habits formed in the cradle will change only at the cremation pyre. (Early childhood conditioning and foundational habits endure for a lifetime; what is bred in the bone never leaves.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ദശയറുതി മരണം, വാവറുതി ഗ്രഹണം”
— English Translation:
The end of an astrological life-period brings death, just as the end of the lunar fortnight brings an eclipse. (The inexorable law of cycles; every cosmic phase and mortal tenure must reach its natural conclusion.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തൊമ്മനു തൊപ്പിപ്പാളപോയി, ചാണ്ടിക്കു കഴുക്കോൽ പോയി, മുതലാളിക്കു പണമടിശ്ശീലപോയി”
— English Translation:
Thomman lost his areca-leaf hat, Chandy lost his rafter-pole, and the master lost his money pouch. (A collective calamity strikes everyone according to their scale: the poor lose humble trifles, while the wealthy lose their fortune.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ദാനംകിട്ടിയ പശുവിന്റെവായിൽ പല്ലുണ്ടൊഎന്നു നോക്കരുതു”
— English Translation:
Never pry open the mouth of a gifted cow to count its teeth. (Never look a gift horse in the mouth; accept generosity with gratitude rather than critically inspecting its imperfections.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തൊമ്മനയയുമ്പൊൾ ചാണ്ടിമുറുകും, ചാണ്ടിയയയുമ്പൊൾ തൊമ്മൻ മുറുകും”
— English Translation:
When Thomman slackens, Chandy tightens; when Chandy slackens, Thomman tightens. (A persistent, intractable feud where two obstinate parties alternate flare-ups, preventing any peaceful settlement.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തെവിയാൻ = നീർക്കോലി”
— English Translation:
[Linguistic gloss from source text: Clarifies that "Theviyan" refers to a common water snake (Neerkkoli), glossing proverb #1512.]