ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുളത്തോടു കോപിച്ചിട്ടു ശൌചിക്കാഞ്ഞാൽ ഊര നാറുകെയുള്ളു”
— English Translation:
If you get angry with the pond and refuse to wash, only your own backside will reek. (Spiting yourself out of anger toward someone else; cutting off your nose to spite your face.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കൂടെചാകുന്ന എന്റെ കോതെച്ചീ, കോടിക്കോണകം തന്നേച്ചുപോ”
— English Translation:
O Kothechi, dying beside me in the same tragedy, leave me your brand-new cloth before you expire! (Selfish, petty greed persisting even at the edge of the grave or in the midst of shared calamity.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുളമെന്നൊ കൊള്ളിയെന്നൊ വല്ലതും വർത്തമാനമുണ്ടൊ”
— English Translation:
Is there any word whether it ended as a cool pond or a burning brand? (Inquiring about the outcome of an uncertain venture—whether it brought relief or total disaster.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കൂട്ടത്തിൽ നിന്നുകൊണ്ടു കാലെൽ ചവിട്ടരുതു”
— English Translation:
Do not stomp on a companion's foot while standing together in the crowd. (Never secretly sabotage or betray an ally while feigning solidarity.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുളം കലക്കി പരുന്നിനു കൊടുക്ക”
— English Translation:
Muddying the pond just to feed fish to the kite. (Creating chaotic ruin in one's own home or institution merely to provide easy pickings for an outside scavenger.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കൂട്ടത്തിൽ പാടാനും വെള്ളത്തിൽ പൂട്ടാനും ആർക്കാ കഴിയാത്തതു”
— English Translation:
Who cannot sing along when in a choir, or plow when the field is already flooded? (Anyone can manage when conditions are effortless and everyone else is carrying the momentum.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുളിച്ചില്ലെങ്കിലും കോണകം പുരപ്പുറത്തു കിടക്കട്ടെ”
— English Translation:
Even if you haven't bathed, let the loincloth dry on the roof. (Putting up a false front of accomplishment to maintain appearances, even when nothing was actually done.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കൂട്ടിൽ ഇട്ട കിളിയെപ്പോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like a bird trapped inside a cage. (Living in helpless, confined captivity, stripped of freedom.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുളംകുഴിക്കുമ്പോൾ കുറ്റിവേറെ പൊരിക്കണ്ടാ (പറിക്കണമൊ)”
— English Translation:
When digging an entire pond, must stumps be uprooted separately? (When a massive, thorough overhaul is underway, minor obstacles are cleared naturally in the course of the larger work.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കൂട്ടിൽ ഇട്ട മെരുവിനെപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like a wild civet cat trapped in a cage. (Pacing restlessly back and forth in frantic agitation and trapped frustration.)

“”
— English Translation:
When going to bathe in the pit dug for bathing, each must step into the pit they dug for themselves. (As you sow, so shall you reap; everyone must face the consequences of the traps and choices they prepared.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കൂനൻ കുലുക്കിയാൽ ഗോപുരം കുലുങ്ങുമൊ”
— English Translation:
Will the grand temple tower shake if a hunchback pushes against it? (The feeble rage of the powerless cannot topple strong, enduring institutions.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുളിപ്പിച്ചാലും പന്നി ചേറ്റിൽ”
— English Translation:
Even if washed clean, a pig will run straight back to the mire. (A person of base nature inevitably returns to their vulgar habits regardless of grooming or reform.)

“”
— English Translation:
For a misshapen jackfruit, a rough, battered basket. (Two imperfect or flawed things matched together; a fitting pair.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുഴിച്ചിട്ടതിനുറപ്പുണ്ടെങ്കിലെ കൊണ്ടച്ചാരിയതു നിൽക്കൂ”
— English Translation:
Only if the post planted in the ground is firm will what is leaned against it stand. (Any support, alliance, or superstructure is only as dependable as the foundation on which it rests.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുഴിയാനമദിച്ചാൽ കുലയാന ആകുമൊ”
— English Translation:
Even if an antlion runs amok in fury, does it become a majestic tusker? (A petty weakling throwing tantrums cannot transform into a figure of true power; empty bluster cannot overcome inherent insignificance.)