ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
നായർക്കു കണ്ടംകൃഷിയുണ്ടെങ്കിൽ അച്ചിച്ചിക്ക് പൊലികടവും ഉണ്ടു”
— English Translation:
If the Nair farmer has wetland crops, the lady of the house has harvest-time grain loans to manage. (Mutual domestic and agricultural interdependency; rights, yields, and debts are shared across the household.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നാടുവിട്ടരാജാവും ഊർവിട്ടപട്ടിയും ഒരുപോലെ”
— English Translation:
An exiled king and a stray dog driven from its village are equals. (Stripped of one's domain, institutional backing, and roots, even the highest monarch is reduced to a helpless wanderer.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നായായിപിറക്കിലും തറവാട്ടിൽപിറക്കണം”
— English Translation:
Even if born as a dog, let it be in a noble ancestral manor. (Better to be a humble dependent in an affluent, secure home than a destitute free agent in squalor.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നമ്പോലന്റെ അമ്മ കിണറ്റിൽ പോയപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like Nambolan's mother falling into the well. (A chaotic misfortune mishandled so clumsily that it turns into a massive, embarrassing public spectacle.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നടന്നുകെട്ട വൈദ്യനും ഇരുന്നുകെട്ട വേശ്യയും ഇല്ല”
— English Translation:
No physician was ever ruined by active walking, nor a courtesan by staying in place. (Success depends on embracing the posture and habits appropriate to one's trade; diligence requires mobility in some fields and presence in others.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നയശാലിയായാൽ ജയശാലിയാകും”
— English Translation:
He who masters diplomacy and tact will master victory. (Gentle tact, measured speech, and strategic patience triumph where aggressive force fails.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നടന്നുവന്നു നടന്നോനും നടന്നുവന്നു കിടന്നോനും ചികിത്സവേണ്ടാ”
— English Translation:
He who walks off his journey and he who rests properly after his journey need no doctor. (Natural pacing, balanced physical activity, and adequate rest are the best medicine for sustaining good health.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നരകത്തിൽ കരുണയില്ല, സ്വൎഗ്ഗത്തിൽ മരണം ഇല്ല”
— English Translation:
In hell there is no mercy; in heaven there is no death. (Every realm is governed by its own absolute realities; do not look for compassion in places defined by ruthlessness.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നടപ്പാൻ മടിച്ചിട്ടു ചിറ്റപ്പൻ വീട്ടിൽനിന്നു പെണ്ണുകെട്ടിയതുപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like marrying a bride from one's uncle's house next door simply to avoid the trouble of walking far. (Making a major, consequential life decision out of sheer laziness and trivial convenience.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നരിക്കുണ്ടൊ പശുക്കുല”
— English Translation:
Does a tiger ever belong to the gentle herd of cows? (A predatory, violent disposition can never be expected to display peaceful, domestic virtues.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നട്ടുനനെക്കയും നനെച്ചു പറിക്കയും”
— English Translation:
Planting and watering, then watering to harvest. (The complete, patient cycle of cultivation; nurturing an enterprise carefully until the time comes to reap its rewards.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നരി നരച്ചാലും കടിക്കും”
— English Translation:
Even if a tiger grows gray with age, it will still maul. (Age and frailty do not soften an inherently cruel or dangerous nature; once a predator, always a predator.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നട്ടുതിന്നുന്നതിലും നന്നു ചുട്ടു തിന്നുകയാണൊ”
— English Translation:
Is burning and devouring the seed better than planting and harvesting? (Squandering capital for immediate gratification is foolish compared to cultivating sustainable, long-term yield.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നരി നുണെക്കുംപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like a tiger smacking its lips over a kill. (Relishing a victim's downfall with greedy, predatory satisfaction.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നദിഒഴുകിയാൽ കടലിലൊളം”
— English Translation:
When a river flows, it flows until it reaches the ocean. (Natural momentum runs its full, uninterrupted course until it meets its ultimate destiny.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നരിയിൻകയ്യിൽ കടച്ചിയെ പോറ്റുവാൻ കൊടുത്തപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like handing over a young heifer to a tiger to be raised. (Entrusting an innocent, vulnerable dependent to the care of a known predator; extreme folly.)