ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
ആന മെലിഞ്ഞാൽ കൊട്ടിലിൽ കെട്ടുമോ”
— English Translation:
Even if an elephant grows emaciated, will it ever be tied in a cattle stall? (A fallen or impoverished noble still maintains inherent dignity and does not belong among common pettiness.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ആനയില്ല്ലാതെ ആറാട്ടൊ”
— English Translation:
Can there be a temple immersion festival without the ceremonial elephant? (A grand enterprise cannot proceed without its central, indispensable pillar.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ആന കടമ്പകടന്നതുപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like an elephant crashing through a garden stile. (An unstoppable force obliterating a fragile obstacle with effortless ease.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ആനയുടെ പുറത്ത് ആനക്കാരനിരിക്കുമ്പോൾ നായി കുരച്ചാൽ അവൻ എത്ര പേടിക്കും”
— English Translation:
Why should the mahout perched atop an elephant be frightened by a barking dog? (Those who operate under the protection of supreme power have nothing to fear from toothless hostility.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ആനകൊടുക്കിലും ആശകൊടുക്കരുതു”
— English Translation:
Part with an elephant if you must, but never offer false hope. (Better to make a painful material sacrifice than to crush someone with empty promises.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ആനയുടെകയ്യിൽ വടി കൊടുക്കരുതു”
— English Translation:
Never place a staff into the trunk of an elephant. (Never furnish someone who is already volatile and dangerously powerful with further means to inflict harm.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ആനക്കാര്യത്തിനിടയിൽ ചേനക്കാര്യം”
— English Translation:
Bringing up the price of yams in the middle of trading elephants. (Interrupting weighty, momentous matters with trivial irrelevancies.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ആനയുടെ യുദ്ധം ഉറുമ്പിനു മരണം”
— English Translation:
When elephants clash in battle, it is the ants beneath their feet that perish. (When powerful titans collide, the small, innocent bystanders pay the ultimate price.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ആനക്കു അരക്കോൽ, അരചനുക്കു മുക്കോൽ, അറിവില്ലാ നാരിക്കുറുപത്തിരുക്കോൽ”
— English Translation:
Half a rod controls an elephant, three rods guide a king, but forty-two rods are needed for an obstinate fool. (The wise and mighty require gentle guidance, while stubborn ignorance yields only to extreme correction.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ആനയും ആടും പോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like an elephant and a goat. (A laughable, extreme mismatch in size, capability, and strength.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ആനക്കു കുതിര തെരിക”
— English Translation:
Using a horse as a head-cushion for an elephant's load. (An absurdly inadequate and mismatched remedy for a colossal burden.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ആനയെ കാണ്മാൻ വെള്ളെഴുത്തുണ്ടൊ”
— English Translation:
Does one need glasses to spot an elephant? (You do not need sharp scrutiny to recognize what is glaringly obvious.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ആനക്കുമണികെട്ടേണ്ടാ (ആനക്കുട്ടിക്കെന്തിനുകൊടമണി)”
— English Translation:
An elephant needs no bell to announce its arrival. (True greatness and immense power command instant recognition without loud fanfare.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ആനയെ തളച്ചാൽ മരത്തിനാണു് കേടു”
— English Translation:
If you tether a mighty elephant, it is the tree that suffers the strain. (Subjecting an ordinary institution or frail individual to an overwhelming force destroys the host.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ആനക്കു കൊമ്പുഘനമൊ”
— English Translation:
Are its own tusks ever too heavy a burden for the elephant? (One's natural duties, innate talents, and family obligations are never an unbearable load.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ആനവായിലമ്പഴങ്ങാപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like a tiny wild plum tossed into an elephant’s gaping mouth. (A drop in the ocean; an offering utterly inadequate to satisfy a massive need.)