ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
പോരുന്നോരെ പോരുമ്മ, പോരാത്താളുടെ ചന്തിമേൽ”
— English Translation:
Worthy rivals face the front of battle; the blows fall on the backsides of cowards. (True warriors meet danger face to face, while cowards and weaklings suffer humiliation as they flee.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പൊൻസൂചിയുള്ളവനു ഇരിമ്പുസൂചിയും ആവശ്യപ്പെടും”
— English Translation:
Even he who owns a golden needle will find need for an iron needle. (Refined luxury cannot replace practical everyday utility; common tools remain indispensable.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പൊൻസൂചിയെങ്കിലും കണ്ണിൽകുത്തരുതു (കൊണ്ടുകുത്തിയാലും കണ്ണുപോകും)”
— English Translation:
Even if it is made of pure gold, do not poke the needle into your eye (it will blind you just the same). (Harm is still deadly even when delivered by a precious, attractive, or high-status source.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പൊട്ടൻ പറഞ്ഞതു പട്ടെരിയും വിധിക്കും”
— English Translation:
What the simpleton said, the learned Bhattathiri will ultimately decree. (Even an unlettered person can stumble upon obvious truth, which the highest authorities eventually validate.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പൊരുത്തങ്ങളിൽ മനപ്പൊരുത്തം മതി”
— English Translation:
Among all astrological compatibilities, the harmony of minds is sufficient. (Mutual love, emotional understanding, and shared purpose surpass all ritual horoscope matchings.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പൊട്ടൻ പറഞ്ഞാൽ പട്ടെരി കെൾക്കുമൊ”
— English Translation:
If a fool speaks, will the learned Bhattathiri ever deign to listen? (The proud, scholarly elite routinely ignore the insights and grievances of the simple and uneducated.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പൊളിഞ്ഞതും പൊളിയാത്തതും ചേടി നോക്കിയാലറിയാം”
— English Translation:
Whether it is cracked or sound can be known by tapping the clay. (Testing the foundational material or listening to the ring of an argument quickly reveals hidden flaws.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പൊട്ടനെ ചെട്ടിചതിച്ചാൽ ചെട്ടിയെ ദൈവം ചതിക്കും”
— English Translation:
If the trader cheats the simpleton, God will ruin the trader. (Defrauding the helpless and innocent invites divine retribution; karma punishes exploiters.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പോക്കറ്റാൽ പുലി പുല്ലുംതിന്നും”
— English Translation:
When pushed to absolute extremity, even a tiger will graze on grass. (Dire desperation forces even the proudest and mightiest to compromise and do what was once unthinkable.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പൊട്ടന്റെ ചെവിയിൽ കുഴലൂതുംപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like blowing a trumpet into the ear of a deaf man. (Wasting music, counsel, or wisdom on someone completely incapable of perceiving it.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പോകെണ്ടതുപോയാൽ ബുദ്ധിവെക്കും, വേവേണ്ടതു വെന്താൽ തീയുംകത്തും”
— English Translation:
Once what must be lost is gone, wisdom dawns; once what must cook is cooked, the hearth fire blazes up. (People learn difficult lessons only after suffering unavoidable losses that force maturity upon them.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പൊണ്ണക്കാര്യത്തിന്റെ അങ്ങെ അറ്റം കൂറപ്പെനിന്റെ ഇങ്ങെ അറ്റം”
— English Translation:
The far end of an inflated matter is just the near end of a clothes louse. (A puffed-up affair accompanied by grand drama turns out to be utterly trivial and petty upon close inspection.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പോണ്ടതുപോയെ വേണ്ടതുതോന്നൂ”
— English Translation:
Only after what was bound to be lost has vanished does the right realization dawn. (Hindsight is always clearer than foresight; wisdom often arrives only after the damage is done.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പൊന്നരുവാ, നെരടിയമ്മി, വെച്ചാലൊട്ടു കൊടുക്കയും വേണ്ടാ”
— English Translation:
A golden sickle and an uneven grinding stone—neither kept with ease nor readily given away. (A white elephant; an awkward possession that is too impractical to use, yet too valuable or troublesome to part with.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പോത്തിന്റെചെവിട്ടിൽ കിന്നരം വായിക്കുന്നതു പോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like playing a melodic lute in the ear of a water buffalo. (Casting pearls before swine; wasting sublime art, refined reason, or delicate counsel on an unfeeling boor.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
പൊന്നാരംകുത്തിയാൽ അരി ഉണ്ടാകയില്ലാ”
— English Translation:
Pounding gold in a mortar will never yield edible rice. (Decorative luxuries, empty flattery, and hoardings of metal cannot satisfy fundamental physical hunger.)