ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
ക്ഷേത്രപാലനു പാത്രത്തോടെ”
— English Translation:
Surrendering the feast along with the serving vessel to the fierce guardian deity. (Giving up everything, lock, stock, and barrel, to appease an aggressive and unyielding power.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചക്കക്കു ചുക്കുതന്നെ പ്രതിവിധി”
— English Translation:
For indigestion from jackfruit, dry ginger is the only cure. (Every specific ailment or problem has its own precise, matching antidote.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ക്ഷൗരത്തിനു തേങ്ങാ കൊടുത്തയക്കണം”
— English Translation:
Having to send along a coconut just to receive a basic shave. (Exorbitant fees, excessive overheads, or bribes demanded for the most ordinary service.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചക്കക്കു തേങ്ങാ കൊണ്ടിട്ടും കൂട്ടെണം”
— English Translation:
Even when cooking jackfruit, coconut must still be added. (Even with a massive core resource at hand, the essential complementary elements cannot be omitted.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഗതാനുഗതികൊലോകൊ നലോക: പാരമാത്ഥിക:”
— English Translation:
The world merely mimics the herd; the crowd does not seek ultimate truth. (Masses follow convention, gossip, and precedent blindly rather than investigating reality for themselves.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഗതികെട്ടാൽ എന്തു ചെയ്യാം? ചാമ എങ്കിലും ചെമ്മൂര്യ”
— English Translation:
When destitute, what else can be done? Settle at least for coarse millet. (Beggars cannot be choosers; when options run out, one must swallow pride and survive on the humblest fare.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഗതികെട്ടാൽ പുലി പുല്ലും തിന്നും”
— 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:
കോഴി നനഞ്ഞതുകൊണ്ടു കുറുക്കൻ കരഞ്ഞത്രെ”
— English Translation:
The fox allegedly wept because the hen got drenched in the rain. (Crocodile tears; hypocritical, false sympathy from a predator whose true objective is consumption.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഗുരുക്കളെ നിനച്ചു കുന്തവും വിഴുങ്ങണം”
— English Translation:
Keeping one's master in mind, one must be ready to swallow even a spear. (Absolute devotion and loyalty to one's teacher demand bearing the most grueling hardships without complaint.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കോഴി ചിള്ളുംപോലെ തന്റെമുമ്പിൽമാത്രം”
— English Translation:
Like a chicken scratching the soil only immediately in front of itself. (Parochial short-sightedness; caring only for one's immediate selfish perimeter without regard for the wider world.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഗുരുക്കൾക്കു കൊടുക്കുന്നത് അപ്പംതിന്നാൽ പലിശക്കുകൊള്ളുന്നത് പുറത്തു”
— English Translation:
Eating the sweet cake intended for the master results in paying the interest squarely on one's own back. (Defrauding one's teacher or misusing sacred dues brings swift, agonizing retribution upon oneself.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കോഴിമുട്ട ഉടെപ്പാൻ കുറുന്തടി വേണമൊ”
— English Translation:
Do you need a heavy club to break a hen’s egg? (Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut; employing wildly excessive force on a fragile, simple matter.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഗുരുക്കൾക്കുള്ളത് ചക്കകൊണ്ടാൽ പലിശക്കുള്ളതു പുറത്ത്”
— English Translation:
If you steal the jackfruit meant for the master, the interest will be extracted squarely from your back. (Defrauding a teacher or sacred authority brings severe physical retribution upon oneself.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കോഴിമുട്ടെക്കു തുരുമ്പു പറിക്കയാണൊ”
— English Translation:
Are you scraping for rust on an eggshell? (Pedantic fault-finding; frantically hunting for non-existent blemishes on something naturally smooth.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഗുരുക്കൾ നിന്നു പാത്തിയാൽ ശിഷ്യർ നടന്നു പാത്തും”
— English Translation:
If the teacher urinates standing, the disciples will urinate while walking. (When a leader engages in minor misconduct, their followers indulge in far worse excesses; bad leadership multiplies degeneracy.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കോഴിയിറച്ചി തിന്മാറുണ്ടു, കോഴിപ്പൂ ചൂടാറുണ്ടോ”
— English Translation:
We may eat chicken meat, but does anyone wear a rooster's comb in their hair? (One may draw practical use from something without making an absurd, tasteless parade of its crude parts.)