ProverbPedia

“ മട്ടികഅടിച്ചു കയറ്റിയതിനു ആണിക്കോ ശിക്ഷ”
— English Translation:
The mallet drove the spike in, so is the nail to receive the punishment? (Unjustly penalizing a passive tool or subordinate while the driving authority escapes accountability.)

“”
— English Translation:
For a wooden toy musket, a clay pellet. (Matching a counterfeit or harmless tool with an equally futile component; a completely ineffective setup.)

“ മലിഞ്ഞാമണ്ണ്, കുറഞ്ഞാൽ പൊന്ന്”
— English Translation:
In surplus it is dirt; in scarcity it is gold. (Scarcity creates value; what is rare is treasured, while what is overly abundant is treated as worthless.)

“ മരമില്ലാ നാട്ടിൽ ആവണക്കു മഹാമരം”
— English Translation:
In a land without trees, the castor shrub is hailed as a mighty timber tree. (In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king; among mediocre people, even minimal talent passes for profound genius.)

“ മഴനനയാതെ പുഴയിൽ ചാടുക”
— English Translation:
Leaping into the roaring river to avoid getting wet in the rain. (Out of the frying pan into the fire; taking a disastrous, extreme step to escape a minor, passing inconvenience.)

“ മരിക്കാതിരിപ്പാൻ ജനിക്കാതിരിക്കണം”
— English Translation:
To avoid dying, one must never be born. (Mortality is the unavoidable condition of existence; accepting life means accepting the reality of death.)

“ മഴയത്തുള്ള എരുമയെപ്പോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like a water buffalo standing placidly in torrential rain. (Utterly indifferent, unbothered, and thick-skinned in the face of harsh conditions or surrounding panic.)

“ മരിങ്ങിയ പണം മരിച്ചാലും എടുക്കുകയില്ല”
— English Translation:
Wealth hoarded away in secret cannot be taken along when death arrives. (You can't take it with you; hoarded riches remain behind uselessly once life departs.)

“ മരുന്നും വിരുന്നും മൂന്നുനാൾ”
— English Translation:
Both medicine and guest hospitality last for three days. (Both medicinal courses and guest stays have an optimal, brief duration; overstaying beyond three days breeds weariness and friction.)

“ മരുമക്കളെ പേടിപ്പിക്കാൻ മക്കളെ അടിക്ക”
— English Translation:
Beating one's own children to intimidate the nephews (or daughter-in-law). (Disciplining an immediate dependent as an indirect warning or subtle rebuke to outsiders whom one cannot confront openly.)

“ മറക്കലം, തുറക്കലം, പിന്നെ പനക്കലം, പിന്നെയതു പാൽക്കലം”
— English Translation:
A hidden vessel, an open vessel, then a toddy jar, and finally a sacred milk pot. (Shifting guises and evolving roles; progressing from concealment to exposure, or from base use to elevated sanctity.)

“ മറയിൽവെച്ചു മദ്ദളം കൊട്ടുന്നതെന്തിനു”
— English Translation:
Why beat a booming maddalam drum behind a thin screen? (Why make clumsy, futile attempts to hide an action that is inherently loud, obvious, and bound to be noticed by all?)

“ മലങ്കാക്ക കരഞ്ഞാൽ വിരുന്നുവരും”
— English Translation:
When the jungle crow caws, guests will arrive. (A traditional folk omen indicating that the persistent cry of a crow heralds the arrival of unexpected visitors.)

“ മലടിക്കറിയാമോ പിള്ളനൊമ്പലം”
— English Translation:
Does a barren woman understand the labor pains of childbirth? (Those who have never experienced personal hardship or sacrifice cannot truly comprehend the agony others endure.)

“ മലയരികെ ഉറവു, പണമരികെ ഞാ(ന്യാ)യം”
— English Translation:
A spring flows beside the mountain, and justice stands beside wealth. (Legal favor and institutional fairness naturally incline toward the rich, just as mountain springs follow the natural terrain.)

“ മലയോടു കൊണ്ടാക്കലം എറിയല്ലേ”
— English Translation:
Do not hurl an earthen pot against a solid mountain. (Never pit fragile, modest resources against an immovable, overwhelming force; only the pot will shatter.)