Indian proverbs

Proverbs from all Indian speaking parts of the Quotes "What is the use of going to the hills in search of honey if it is available at home?" as a Sanskrit proverb says. Quoted from Swami Vivekananda, "The work before us" (Delivered at the Triplicane Literary Society, Madras), Complete Works, vol. 3 सौ सोनार की, एक लोहार की (Hindi) Transliteration: Sau sunar ki ek luhar ki. A single blow of a blacksmith is equal to a hundred blows of a goldsmith. "Things that need a hundred nuanced actions can be achieved with a single coarse action." Porter William Henry Proverbs: Arranged in Alphabetical Order ... http://books.google.com/books?id=KA4oAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA22 1845 Munroe and Company 22 Source: John Christian Behar proverbs 1891 K. Paul, Trench, Trübner & co., limited 131 வெளுத்ததெல்லாம் பாலல்ல / மின்னுவதெல்லாம் பொன்னல்ல (Tamil) Transliteration: Velluthathellam Paal alla. All the things that are white are not milk. English Equivalent: All that glitters is not gold Kannada Equivalent: "bellage irodella halalla" (ಬೆಳ್ಳಗೆ ಇರೋದೆಲ್ಲ ಹಾಲಲ್ಲ.) M. Kaṇapatippiḷḷai Tenpulōliyur Payircit Tamil.Practical Tamil https://books.google.com/books?id=TbsuAAAAMAAJ 274 जान है तो जहान है(Hindi) Transliteration: Jaan hai to Jahan Hai. (If) there's life, then there's the world. English equivalent: After us, the deluge. Meaning: Only if you are alive, things matter. Source: Vihārilāla Mitra The Yoga-Vāsiṣṭha of Vālmīki 1998 Parimal Publications 294 जंगल में मोर नाचा किस ने देखा ? (Hindi) Transliteration: Jangal main mor nacha, kisne dekha? English equivalent: He was in Rome and did not see the pope. Source: India Today Volume 25 2000 Thomson Living Media India Ltd. viii जिस की लाठी उस की भैंस (Hindi) Transliteration: Jis ki lathi usi ki bhains. Meaning: Whoever owns the lathi (a huge cane/stick) eventually owns the buffalo. English equivalent: Might is right. Source: S. W. Fallon Sir Richard Carnac Temple Faqir Chand (Lala.) A dictionary of Hindustani proverbs 1998 Asian Educational Services 978-81-206-0663-0 119 जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी ॥ Transliteration: Jananee janmabhoomischa swargaadapi gareeyasi. (Sanskrit) One's mother and homeland are greater than even heaven. Source: Ramayana (when Ravana's brother Bibhisan asks Rama to take charge of Lanka after defeating Ravana, Rama says the above words, indicating his willingess to return to his own kingdom) घर का भेदी लंका ढाये (Hindi) Transliteration: Ghar ka bhedi lanka dhaye. The insider who knows all the secrets can bring down Lanka (a very prosperous city in Hindu mythology) Meaning: Beware of the insider, for he can bring down the biggest setup (because of his insider knowledge). Bengali equivalent: ঘরের শত্রু বিভীষণ। Source: Sanjay Chadha Mantras Of Success 2004 Ocean Books (P) Ltd. 978-81-88322-49-7 89 बंदर क्या जाने अदरक का स्वाद (Hindi) Transliteration: Bandar kya jaane adrak ka swaad. What does a monkey know of the taste of ginger? Meaning: Someone who can't understand can't appreciate (or) Someone without refined tastes cannot appreciate a fine thing. English equivalent: Laying pearls before swine. Bengali equivalent: চাষা কি জানে কর্পূরের গুণChasa ki jane karpurer gun Kannada equivalent: Kattheg enu gotthu Kasthuri parimala (A donkey would not know the scent of Kasthuri) Malayalam equivalent: Nallathe ariyo nayike (Does the dog know what's good) Marathi equivalent: गाढवाला गुळाची चव कायGaadhavala gulaachi chav kay (A donkey cannot appreciate the taste of jaggery) Tamil equivalent: கழுதைக்குத் தெரியுமா கற்பூர வாசனை ? - Kazhudaikku theriyuma karpoora vaasanai? (What does a donkey know about the fragrance of camphor?) Telugu equivalent: Gadida kemi thelusu Gandapu vasana (or) Pandi kemi thelusu panneru vasana. గాడిదకేం తెలుసు గంధపు వాసన? (లేదా)పందికేం తెలుసు పన్నీరు వాసన? Source: Henk W. Wagenaar S. S. Parikh D. F. Plukker R. Veldhuijzen van Zanten Allied Chambers transliterated Hindi-Hindi-English dictionary 1993 Allied Publishers 978-81-86062-10-4 79 अब पछताए होत क्या जब चिड़िया चुग गई खेत (Hindi) Transliteration: Ab pachhtaaye hote kya, jab chidiya chug gayi khet?’’ What is the use of crying when the birds ate the whole farm? Meaning: There is no use crying over something that has already finished/happened. English equivalent: There is no use crying over spillt milk. Telugu equivalent: Chethulu kalaka akulu pattukunnattu Sanskrit equivalent: गोतोस्यो सोचोन नास्ति (यथा कर्मो तथा सस्ति) Source: Shyam Bahadur Varma Encyclopaedia of Quotations 2006 Prabhat Prakashan 96 नौ सौ चूहे खाके बिल्ली हज को चली (Hindi) Transliteration: Nau sau chuhe khake billi haj ko chali. After eating 900 hundred rats, the cat goes to Hajj. Use: When a person starts behaving saintly or shows fake goodness after committing some very serious crimeshttp://urduboli.blogspot.com/2016/07/urdu-english-proverbs-2.html Source: http://books.google.com/books?id=z3pLAQAAIAAJ&q=sau+chuhe+khake&dq=sau+chuhe+khake&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tKkpT4aOD6iSiQK728DkCg&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA Indian Literature 51 240-242 Sahitya Akademi 2007 2012-02-01</ref> आसमान से गिरे खजूर में अटके (Hindi) Literal: Fell from the sky, got stuck in a date palm. English equivalent: From the frying pan into the fire. Meaning: While trying to avoid a a bad situation one might end up in an even worse situation. Marathi equivalent: Aagitun fufaatyaat padane. आगीतून फुफाट्यात पडणे Tamil equivalent: வாணலிக்குத் தப்பி அடுப்பில் விழுந்தது போல (vANalikkuth thappi aduppil vizhundhathu pOla) (out of the frying pan, onto the stovetop) Telugu equivalent: Anna prasanannpude avakayi annam pettaru. Literal: A child is not fed with pickled rice at the time of naming ceremony. Baṛāyauda 1987 Jonokākajiko oṛoh kaji raah jugutuko Jhārakhaṇḍa Pablikesansa 1 "A drop hollows out the stone by falling not twice, but many times; so too is a person made wise by reading not two, but many books." (Giordano Bruno, Il Candelaio) S. W. Fallon Faqir Chand (Lala.) A dictionary of hindustani proverbs: including many Marwari, Panjabi, Maggah, Bhojpuri, and Tirhuti proverbs, sayings, emblems, aphorisms, maxims, and similes http://books.google.com/books?id=IlEFBaBZZ4UC 1998 Asian Educational Services 978-81-206-0663-0 In Marathi, a very popular proverb goes as follows: Kashees jaave, nitya vadaave (Keep contemplating and stating every day that you will go to Kashi some day of your life; that might then just materialize). Vikram Sampath - Waiting for Shiva_ Unearthing the Truth of Kashi's Gyan Vapi-BluOne Ink (2024) सौ सोनार की, एक लोहार की (Hindi) Transliteration: Sau sunar ki ek lauhar ki. A single blow of a blacksmith is equal to a hundred blows of a goldsmith. Meaning: Generally used to demonstrate the power of a strong person to a weak one. Source: John Christian Behar proverbs 1891 K. Paul, Trench, Trübner & co., limited 131 வெளுத்ததெல்லாம் பாலல்ல / மின்னுவதெல்லாம் பொன்னல்ல (Tamil) Transliteration: Veluthathellam Paal alla. All the things that are white are not milk. English Equivalent: All that which is white is not milk. (Alternate): All that glitters is not gold Kannada Equivalent: "bellage irodella halalla" (ಬೆಳ್ಳಗೆ ಇರೋದೆಲ್ಲ ಹಾಲಲ್ಲ.) जान है तो जहान है(Hindi) Transliteration: Jaan hai to Jahan Hai. (If) there's life, then there's the world. English equivalent: After us, the deluge. Meaning: Only if you are alive, things matter. Source: Vihārilāla Mitra The Yoga-Vāsiṣṭha of Vālmīki 1998 Parimal Publications 294 जंगल में मोर नाचा किस ने देखा ? (Hindi) Transliteration: Jangal main mor nacha, kisne dekha? Who saw a peacock dance in the woods? Meaning: Even a very good thing will have to be made public, to be acclaimed by people. Source: India Today Volume 25 2000 Thomson Living Media India Ltd. viii जिस की लाठी उस की भैंस (Hindi) Transliteration: Jis ki lathi usi ki bhains. Meaning: Whoever owns the lathi (a huge cane/stick) eventually owns the buffalo. English equivalent: Might is right. Source: S. W. Fallon Sir Richard Carnac Temple Faqir Chand (Lala.) A dictionary of Hindustani proverbs 1998 Asian Educational Services 978-81-206-0663-0 119 जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी ॥ Transliteration: Jananee janmabhoomischa swargaadapi gareeyasi. (Sanskrit) One's mother and homeland are greater than even heaven. Source: Ramayana (when Ravana's brother Bibhisan asks Rama to take charge of Lanka after defeating Ravana, Rama says the above words, indicating his willingess to return to his own kingdom) घर का भेदी लंका ढाये (Hindi) Transliteration: Ghar ka bhedi lanka dhayey. The insider who knows all the secrets can bring down Lanka (a very prosperous city in Hindu mythology) Meaning: Beware of the insider, for he can bring down the biggest setup (because of his insider knowledge). Bengali equivalent: ঘরের শত্রু বিভীষণ। Source: Sanjay Chadha Mantras Of Success 2004 Ocean Books (P) Ltd. 978-81-88322-49-7 89 बंदर क्या जाने अदरक का स्वाद (Hindi) Transliteration: Bandar kya jaane adark ka swaad. What does a monkey know of the taste of ginger? Meaning: Someone who can't understand can't appreciate (or) Someone without refined tastes cannot appreciate a fine thing. English equivalent: Laying pearls before swine. Bengali equivalent: চাষা কি জানে কর্পূরের গুণChasa ki jane karpurer gun Kannada equivalent: Kattheg enu gotthu Kasthuri parimala (A donkey would not know the scent of Kasthuri) Malayalam equivalent: Nallathe ariyo nayike (Does the dog know what's good) Marathi equivalent: गाढवाला गुळाची चव कायGaadhavala gulaachi chav kay (A donkey cannot appreciate the taste of jaggery) Tamil equivalent: கழுதைக்குத் தெரியுமா கற்பூர வாசனை ? - Kazhudaikku theriyuma karpoora vaasanai? (What does Donkey know about the odor of Camphor?) Telugu equivalent: Gadida kemi thelusu Gandapu vasana (or) Pandi kemi thelusu panneru vasana. గాడిదకేం తెలుసు గంధపు వాసన? (లేదా)పందికేం తెలుసు పన్నీరు వాసన? Source: Henk W. Wagenaar S. S. Parikh D. F. Plukker R. Veldhuijzen van Zanten Allied Chambers transliterated Hindi-Hindi-English dictionary 1993 Allied Publishers 978-81-86062-10-4 79 अब पछताए होत क्या जब चिड़िया चुग गई खेत (Hindi) Transliteration: Ab pachhtaaye hote kya, jab chidiya chug gayi khet?’’ What is the use of crying when the birds ate the whole farm? Meaning: There is no use crying over something that has already finished/happened. English equivalent: There is no use crying over spillt milk. Telugu equivalent: Chethulu kalaka akulu pattukunnattu Sanskrit equivalent: गोतोस्यो सोचोन नास्ति (यथा कर्मो तथा सस्ति) Source: Shyam Bahadur Varma Encyclopaedia of Quotations 2006 Prabhat Prakashan 96 नौ सौ चूहे खाके बिल्ली हज को चली (Hindi) Transliteration: Nau sau chuhe khake billi haj ko chali. After eating 900 hundred rats, the cat goes to Hajj. Source: http://books.google.com/books?id=z3pLAQAAIAAJ&q=sau+chuhe+khake&dq=sau+chuhe+khake&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tKkpT4aOD6iSiQK728DkCg&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA Indian Literature 51 240-242 Sahitya Akademi 2007 2012-02-01</ref> आसमान से गिरे खजूर में अटके' (Hindi) Literal: Fell from the sky, got stuck in a date palm. English equivalent: From the frying pan into the fire. Meaning: While trying to avoid a a bad situation one might end up in an even worse situation. Marathi equivalent: Aagitun fufaatyaat padane. आगीतून फुफाट्यात पडणे Tamil equivalent: வாணலிக்குத் தப்பி அடுப்பில் விழுந்தது போல (vANalikkuth thappi aduppil vizhundhathu pOla) Telugu equivalent: Anna prasanannpude avakayi annam pettaru. Literal: A child is not fed with pickled rice at the time of naming ceremony. Baṛāyauda 1987 Jonokākajiko oṛoh kaji raah jugutuko Jhārakhaṇḍa Pablikesansa 1 बूँद-बूँद से घड़ा भरता है (Hindi) Transliteration: Boond-boond se ghara bharta hai''. It takes drop by drop to fill a pitcher. English equivalent: Constant dropping fills the bucket Meaning: Persistence is the key to success Source for meaning of English equivalent: Paczolay Gyula European proverbs: in 55 languages, with equivalents in Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, Chinese and Japanese http://books.google.com/books?id=JiXzAAAAMAAJ 1997 Veszprémi Nyomda 1-875943-44-7 349 71 See also Romani proverbs