Kashmiri Proverbs

by Omkar N. Koul

Ak' tsAT sum tI sa:s gov k>li
One man cut the bund/barrage, and a thousand people fell into the river.

Ak' sund kAsiya:n beyi sund gIza:
One person's vomit is another's food.
Someone lives on the leftovers of others.

Ak' sund daza:n a:b, tI beyi sund nI daza:n ti:l
One man can burn water, whereas another cannot even burn oil.
A matter of luck.

Akis daza:n dA:r tI b'a:kh chus vushIna:v:n athI
One man's beard is on fire, and another man warms his hands on it.
To take advantage of someone's misery.

Ach ongji Thukni
To strike the eyes with fingers.
To tease someone.

Ach peTh nI mAch zIrna:vIn'
Not to bear a fly on someone's eye.
To take good care of someone.

Ach vatshI tI ga:shI rusI
May your eyes be opened but see nothing (A curse).
To turn a blind eye to something.

Achan paci ph'ur gatshun
To turn one's eyes away from someone.
To forget someone's help.

AD' la:r AD' da:r
Half at Lar and half at Dar.
Unmanageably scattered property or assets.
Scattered relations.

Ati: sha:h tI Ati: gada:h
A king for a moment, and a beggar soon after
One's fortune can change very fast.

Ath' ba:nas kh'on tI Ath' ba:nas charun
To eat out of a vessel and then defile it.
To receive someone's hospitality and then slander him.

AdIr zAT h'uh aga:di gatshun
To stick (to something) like a wet cloth.
To be very adamant. To keep on insisting.
To pester someone.

An' sInz k>lay kh>da:yas hava:iI
A blind man's wife is God's keeping.

Anim s>y, vAvIm s>y, iAjim s>y pa:nIsIy
I brought the nettle, sowed the nettle, and then the nettle stung me.
To be affected by one's own deeds.
Ingratitude.

Anis mush ha:vin', na chu g>na:h tI na sava:b
To show one's fist to a blind man is neither a sin nor a virtue.
Advice is lost on stupid people.

Andraman grand karIn'
To count (someone's) intestines.
To know all secrets about someone.

Ar' a:yi sA:ri: tI or gav nI ka:~h
All people came (were born) in good health, but none left (died) healthy.

A:b panun ma:sho:kh
A man loves his own shortcomings.

A:shina:v gav po:shina:v
A relative remains a relative, as long as relations are maintained.
You should not take relatives for granted.

aki kanI bo:zun tI beyi kanI tra:vun
To let it in by one ear, and let it out from the other.
To hear but not to act.

akh asun gav madI vasun, b'a:kh asun gav kharas khasun
One kind of laugh is to come down from high horse and another to get on an ass.

akh kara:n tachI bachI, b'a:kh diva:n vachI vachI
One person earns his living after working very hard, and another beats his chest (out of envy).
A person does not appreciate the efforts of others, when he is (merely) jealous.

akh gav be:chun beyi hAs'tis khAsith
One is to beg, and that too riding on an elephant.
To ask for alms and also to maintain status.
Trying to be a dignified beggar.

akh go:mut yi:rI tI vi:ri manga:n Tang
A drowning man asks for pears from the willow tree.
A confused person. One who doesn't know what is good for him.

akh tI akh gAyi ka:h
One plus one make eleven.
In unity there is strength. Two heads are better than one.

akh buDI tI meThI, b'a:kh buDI tI TeThI
One man is old and sweet, another is old and bitter.
Some people age gracefully others go sour.

akh vakur tI beyi trakur
First, one is deformed, and second, proud too.
One problem over the other.
A pimple has grown on the ulcer.

azmo:vmut gav pathar po:vmut
A person who has been tried is (as good as) prostrated (won over).

athI tshoT tI zevi z'u:Th
With short hands and long tongue.
One who merely talks, but doesn't really work.

athIva:s chu mohrI sa:s
Unity is equal to a thousand golden coins.

an mana: kar phana: rachun chuy boD g>na:
Bring a mound and finish it. It is a great sin to save.
A spendthrift. One who does not think about tomorrow. Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you may die.

anIhA:ren arIma:n, kAr'mit' pashe:ma:n
The bachelors crave to get married, and the married ones regret why they got married.
Marry in haste and repent at leisure.

apzis koTh' kati.
The lie doen't have knees to stand on.
A lie doesn't have a foot to stand on.
A lie doesn't last for long.

alIkulis tulIkul bana:vun
To make a mulberry tree out of a pumpkin plant.
To make a mountain out of a mole hill.

alan hIndi da:di va:~gnan sag
When pumpkins are watered, brinjals also get watered.
Some small people are often benefited when the benefit is given to the big ones.

asma:nas sI:th' buz' buz' ga:DI kheni
To roast fish on sky and to eat them.
To talk big.
To think too much of oneself.

a:gI kara:n ne:thIr tI parzun nI ma:na:n
The master gets married, but the servant does not accept it.
How does it matter if reality is ignored?

a:bas andar krAnD
A basket in water.
To thrive under patronage.

a:men Ta:ken ti:l phe:run
To pour oil in raw clay pots.
To waste one's efforts on a naive person.

a:rIm' kAd nI muj, tI pheki:ran do:rus halam
The gardener had not yet dug out the radish, when the beggar held the
alms-bowl in front of him.
To ask for the chicken before it is hatched.

a:li ditso:n ta:li ga'v, z>vi korun l'av tI l'av
Ali greased her head with ghee, but the lice licked it up.
Money in the hands of a spendthrift.

a:v tI s>nIsund tI gav tI ga:suv
If it comes, it is golden; if it doesn't, it was made of grass.
Welcome an opportunity as it comes, call it a trifle if it doesn't.
Neutral attitude.

a:sun chu hechIna:va:n na a:sun chu mandIcha:va:n
Prosperity teaches one, and poverty puts one to shame.
Prosperity improve's one's personality, adversity cripples it.

utIni bala:yi tut
One innocent person is punished in place of someone else.
One pays for someone else's fault.
Justice miscarried.

on k'a: za:ni pron batI
A blind person doesn't know what the white rice looks like.
A blind man is no judge of colours.
A stupid person doesn't know what is good or bad.

o~glas peTh bAnglI
A banglow (is constructed) upon an inch of ground.
A baseless matter which does not last for long.
To build castles in the air.

kIji peTh ka:jIvaTh, vilinji peTh v>khul
A pestle upon a peg, and a mortar upon a clothes line.
Unorganized system. Impossible things.

kAmi:nas khIdmath chi zAmi:nas cho:b
To serve a mean person, is to beat the earth.
To serve a mean person is an unprofitable business.

kathi kotsh, vati pakIvIn'
Bribe for a word, and road toll for the walking
Maladministration and corruption.

kani kapas kaDIn'
To obtain cotton from the stone.
An impossible task.

kanas batI ladun
To stuff the ear with food.
To over feed someone.
Advice to a stupid person is wasted.

kandas tI muji kunuy s>:d
The sugar-candy and the raddish taste alike.
All the same to a person whether good or bad.
When good and bad persons are not distinguished.

kalI peThI' sA:la:b
A flood over one's head.
Deep in trouble.

kalas peTh gA:r' phuTIrA:vith khen'
Breaking water nuts on someone's head and eating them.
To make living with difficulty.
To keep the wolf off the door with difficulty.

ka:kun ha:put, me tra:ya:v tAm' tro:vus nI
Father's bear. I left him but he did not let me free.
To take up a quarrel with someone and to be in more trouble.

ka:v chajo:k sati sa:bni tas tsol nI panun krehn'a:r
A crow was washed with soap several times, but its own black colour did not go.

ka:vI yenivo:l
A crows wedding party.
A bad wedding arrangement.
Noise.

ka:van hecha:v kakIv sund pakun, panInuy pakun moThus
A crow learnt to walk like a partridge and forgot its own style of walking.
Useless imitation.

ka:han ka:h vatI
Eleven persons take eleven paths.
Pulling in diverse directions.
Disunity.

ka:han ga:v rA:vmIts
Eleven persons have lost their cow.
A great loss, but many to share it.
Too many masters cannot manage a simple thing.
Disunity in a household.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.

kun' zin'hAr chanI gaji ti daza:n
A single log of wood does not burn even in an oven (fireplace).
A single person cannot do much.

kuni gabi muTh' lej
A vessel full of soybeans for a single sheep.
One who does not share his resources with others.
A pampered child.

kunis po:sha:n sA:ri:, kun nI po:sha:n kA:~si
Everyone takes an advantage of a single person but the single person cannot face anyone.

kulis khAsith g>DI rab
To climb a tree and smear mud on the trunk to make it slippery.
To engage someone for some task and then back out.

ku:ri: vonImay, noshi tsI bo:z
O daughter, I'm telling you. O daughter-in-law, listen to it.
To communicate indirectly.
Message communicated to one is meant for someone else.

kobis lath dava:
A kick works as a treatment to a hunch backed person.

ko:ri hund batI gav gA:v hund guh
The food eaten at one's daughter's place is like eating cow dung.

k>kIr tacha:n tI pu:t' hecha:n
The hen scratches and the chicken learns.
The yound ones imitate elders.

k>kath nay tI kAn' kath k'a:?
If it is not a gossip, why to say it in someone's ear (or whisper)?
Secrets are not narrated loudly.

k>karan m>khtI chakun
To scatter pearls for the cocks.
To waste good advice on the foolish.

k>kras kuni: zang
There is only one leg to the cock.
An adamant person.

k>li graza:n kavay chakh? a:gur vuchith
"O river, why are you roaming? "On seeing my source."
The importance of background.

kranjili kranjili po:n' sa:run
To carry water in baskets.
A futile exercise.
To waste energy.

khIzmath/khIdmath cha azmath
Service is greatness

khamithe: gur tI khama:n cha gunI
It could be genuine for horses to complaint, but (instead of horses) complaints are made by the load sacks (or saddle bags).

khar k'a: za:ni za:phra:nIc kadIr?
An ass does not know the importance of saffron.
A stupid person does not know the importance of quality.

kharas go:r a:prun
To feed jaggery to an ass.
To give advice to a stupid person.

kha:nImA:lis nI ko:j tI parzanan mimuz
No breakfast for the dear one, but a luncheon for the strangers.

khenI kheva:n tI venI DA:l' DA:l'
Someone is eating his meals, as though picking vena (a kind of green) plant.
Eating but pretending as if one doesn't want to eat.
Mannerisms in eating to show off.

khenI manz v>kus
Unnecessary conflict while eating.
An unnecessary quarrel in the family.

khemas kha:r tI ho:ras nI ha:r
I will usurp his kharwar and will not pay him a penny.
A selfish person.

kh>jI b'u:Th va:n tI lejav sa:n
The Khwaja (shopkeeper) opened a shop alongwith all his pots (which are empty).

kh>da:yi sInz khAr tI nA:ydI sInz tsheph
God has given the scab, and the barber causes a wound (in it).
One misery followed by another.
Calamity followed by catastrophe.
Misfortunes never come alone.

kh>ran nI khra:v tI padma:n na:vI
Not even wooden shoes to wear for her feet, yet she is called Padmini (a queen).

gagra:yan chunI ru:d
The thundering does not cause rain.
Barking dogs seldom bite.
Empty vessels make much noise.

gabi buthi ra:mI hu:n
A sheep in appearance, but a wolf at heart.
A wolf in sheep's clothing.

garI vanday garI sa:sa:, barI nebar ne:ray nI za:~h
O home, I would sacrifice a thousand houses on you, and would never step out of the door.
No place like home.
East or west, home is the best.

garas manz ganga:
Ganges in one's own home.
Everything available at home.

gari gaTi tI mAshi:di tso:~g
Darkness in the home, but a light in the mosque.
Darkness in the hearth and light in the church.

gari ti ha:kh, pari ti ha:kh, na:khay zuva: gari: dra:kh
The same swede (a green vegetable) in my home, the same in another's house. O myself, you should have not come out of your own house.
When one doesn't get better food at other's place.

gursas mA:l, tsoD heth patI kani
One wants to have buttermilk, but has hidden the pot (which has been brought for it) behind one's back.
A person who wants to have something, but is feeling shy in asking for it.

gu:r' gari cha: votsh ra:va:n?
Is a calf ever lost in a milk vendors' house?

g>DI gav pa:nas, patI gA:r za:nas
First for self, then for the stranger.
Charity begins at home.

cA:nis ha:kas chunI pa:kh dinuk ha:jath
There is no need to cook your swedes.
A perfect worker.

chAn' mAT cha vaza:n
Empty vessels make much noise.

chAl' chAl' z'un za:lun
To burn wood after washing it.
To be over careful.

cham chiTh tI cha ma: kA:~si
I have a printed cloth, which no one else has.
To show off. A dandy. A snob.

cha:nI kIj
The carpenter's wooden wedge.
To keep some lacuna in the work.

cha:v yith batI, tI da:v yith kathI
Rice tastes good when it is properly cooked, and talking is good when opportunity is ripe.
Strike when the iron is hot.

ch>kas nu:n tra:vun
To rub salt on the wound.
To add insult to injury.

ch>n'a: T>n'a: karun
To enjoy at any cost.
To spend lavishly and not to think about future.

jandInIy cha z>vI a:sa:n
Lice flourishes in rags.

tsAris ga:Tas chu tsor khur
The wiser the man, the more in trouble.

tsari chu kAnd' thari peTh ra:hat
The sparrow feels comfortable upon the thorn bush.
Everyone feels comfortable at his or her own place, no matter how small or bad it is.

tsu:~Th chu tsu:~This vuchith rang raTa:n
An apple gets colour on seeing another apple.
A person is influenced by the company he/she keeps.

ts>civari AndrI ne:r'a: Anz?
Would a goose come out of a cake?

tshalas tal chu hos ti band
Even an elephant is caught in the trap.
Anyone can be trapped.

tshopuy gupun gudA:m' kha:v
The silent animal eats its tether.
One must be afraid of the person, who keeps quiet all the time.

tsh>pI chay r>pI sInz
The silence is silvery (as good as silver).

zakhman nu:n chakun
To sprinkle salt on wounds.
To add fuel to fire.

zacan paci ph'ur
To turn and mend old clothes.
To economize expenditure.

za'v cha shamshe:r
The tongue is a sword.

z'a:dI kathan nI su:d
It does not pay to talk a lot.
Brevity is the soul of wit.

za:n cha jaha:n
Acquaintance is the world.
Good connections pay.

zindI nI su:r tI mArith Atla:s
While alive not even ashes, but when dead, satin to cover the body.

zi: cha hi:
The income is like jasmine.
Money makes the mare go.

zuv or tI jaha:n or
If one is healthy, the world is healthy.
Health is wealth.

Thu:lI tsu:ruy chu bana:n mulI tsu:r
One who starts off by stealing eggs end as a professional thief.
Evil means have evil ends.

DAmbinen kong
To put saffron in cooking sheep's paunch.
A wastage of resources or talent.

tatsar chu matsar
Anger is madness.

ta:bas chu la:b
The patience pays.
Slow and steady wins the race.

teli to:sh, yeli n>sh garI va:ti
Be glad only when the bride reaches home.
There is a slip between the cup and the lip.
Don't count your chicken before they are hatched.

tul palav v>th tsalav
Pick up clothes and let us run away.
A wandering life.

trukis katha:, mu:Das lo:ri hatha:
A word to a wise, and hundred lashes to the stupid.

dAhi vIhIr' dashIha:r
The festival of Dash-har after ten years.
Long awaited happiness in a family.
Once in a blue moon.

dab chunI kA:~si hund bab
The fall is nobody's sire.
Anyone can fall or slip at any moment.

damas sI:t' chu namaska:r
As long as one is rich, one commands.
"Good day" to rich person.

darya:vIK' malakh gAnzrIn'
To count the waves of the river.
To attempt an impossible task.
To waste time in futile pursuits.

di thaph tI ni dasta:r
Catch him, and take his turban.

dushman nay chuy pitur ti chuyna:
If you don't have an enemy, don't you have a cousin?

du:ri du:ri chu marIts me:Tha:n, nakhI nakhI chu na:bad TeTha:n
From a distance even black pepper becomes sweets, near at hand sugar becomes bitter.
Distance lends enchantment, and familiarity breeds contempt.

d>das kAnD' tsa:rIn'
Searching thorns in the milk.
To criticize without justification.

d>n sala:h tren va:hvela:
Agreement with two people, lamentation with three.
Two are a company, and three are not.
Two make a company, three make a row.

nAv kath cha navan d>han
A new matter lasts only for nine days.
Nine days wonder.
Things are forgotten fast.

nAsi:bI chu ha:put
The fortune is (like) a bear.
Impossible tasks are accomplished by good luck.

na tren manz, na truvIha:n manz
Neither in three, nor in the thirteen.
One who doesn't have any importance.

name:da:nam chuy rAhti-ja:nam
Ignorance is the peace of life.

na:gI ga:DI, vachini hala:l, tI kheni hara:m
The fish in the spring are lawful to look at but unlawful to eat.
One can look at the beauty at a distance but cannot enjoy it.

na:da:nas nAsiyath karIn' go:ya: ki panzen nu:n d'un
Giving advice to a stupid person is like feeding salt to monkeys.
Good advice is lost on stupid persons.

na:ni rus shur gav pa:ni rus da:ni
A child without a grandmother is like paddy without water.

na:rI dra:v s>n h'uh
Like gold which has come out of the fire.
Well tested proposition.

na:v thod tI nasti zod
The name is high, but the person has a hole in the nose.
Even the great ones have flaws.

nendIr chay mo:tIn' beni
The sleep is the sister of the death.
One is totally unaware of what happens during sleep.

me:ko: ni:ki: kar, bad labi pa:nay
O good man, do good; the wicked will receive his own due.
Be good and do good.

pAtim gAr che sakh
The last hour is a hard time.
Death day is doom's day.

paknas gatshi a:sun Takun
For walking it is important to have something to eat.
Those who eat can take up physical work.

panIn' athI chi palza:n
One's won hands help one.
One who has done good to others is always helped by them.

panIni gari ha:kh vugrI, beyi sIndi gari p>la:v
Simple vegetables and rice at one's own home is as good as a delicious dish at someone else's place.

panIni bebi mIshIk h'on
To smell one's own bosom.
Self introspection.

panInuy rath pa:nIsIy math
To rub one's own blood on oneself.
To do any work for the benefit of one's self.

panun muhim chu ha:va:n pa:nay vath
Each problem is solved in its own way.
Whenever there is a problem there is way out.

panun yazath chu pa:nas athi
One's honour is in one's own hands.
One can oneself earn and maintain one's respect.

pashmi:nas cha narmi:
The pashmina is soft.
Good people are gentle.

pilis na tI tsoki: ga:s
One could not reach the fruit, and therefore he said that they were sour.
The grapes are sour.

pish kAr' g>na:h, vagvis co:b
The flea sinned, but the reed-mat got the beating.
One person commits a crime, and another gets punishment for it.

pu:chukh ti nay tsolukh ti na:?
If you couldn't win, why didn't you run away?
If one cannot face a situation, one should give it up.

potrI bochi, hu:n k>chi
To crave for a child, and to hold a dog to one's lap.

pormut chu gormut
An educated person is a nicely cut (stone).
An educated person is well groomed.

praya:gIc bu:n',na thada:n na baDa:n
The chinar of Prayag, neither does it become tall nor big.
A child who doesn't grow.

phari tsu:ras chu da:ri konD lo:r
A thorn is struck in the beard of one who stole a fried fish.
A thief has a guilty conscience.

phal kuluy chu nemith
The tree laden with fruit always bows low.
A great person is always polite.

phirith pheran tshunun.
To put a pheran (a Kashmiri loose dress) inside out.
The guilty blaming the accuser.

bA:tsan yi:za: tI p>tlen pu:za:
The members of the family are in distress, but the idols are worshipped.
To ignore one's family and to worship stone idols.

baji kani talIy cha l>kIT kAn' vepa:n
A small stone can be hidden under a big one.

baTas tseD, musalma:nas yaD, tI rA:phizas h>D
Endurance to the Hindu, stomach to the Muslim and cry to a Shia.
A Hindu endures, a Muslim fills the belly and a Shia mourns or resists.

batI gardan gAyi bAD gardan.
The path to heart lies through one's stomach.

batI natI bata:s, chiTh naTI atla:s
A poor man with rich dsesires.
If wishes were horses beggars would ride.

bandI chu bashar
To err is human.

bandIy chu be:sabar
A human being is quite impatient.

babI buDtam tI khIdmatha: kartam
O father, grow old and serve me.
When youngsters expect their elders to serve them.

bi:mI ros shur gav la:kmi ros gur
The child who is not afraid of anyone is like a horse without a bridle.
Spare the rod and spoil the child.

beka:ras chi tre ka:r
An idle person has three tasks: sleeping, eating and quarreling.

beyi sund do:d chuy be:ma:ne:
yas Akis bAnith a:v suy za:ne:
Another person's pain is meaningless. He only knows who suffers.
Only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches.

boch gatshi nI n'un va:zIva:n, tI non gatshi nI n'un baza:zi va:n
The hungry should not be taken to a feast, and a naked person should not be taken to a cloth shop.
It is difficult to control desire of someone who is in great need.

bro:r vuchith gatshi bishtI pho:run
On seeing a cat, one should be able to utter bishtI (for driving it away).
One must be courageous enough to show displeasure in presence of the person concerned, and not in his absence.

mA:j kara:n "ku:r' ku:r'", ku:r kara:n "rA:ni rA:ni"
The mother keeps on caring for her daughter, while the daughter keeps on craving for her husdand.

"mA:j vohva:n chumnI ka:~h."
"potrI vati peTh beh."
"O mother, no one abuses me."
"Go and sit on the roadside."
Ask for problems and you will get them.

matev An' n>sh s> ti dra:yi mAtsIy
The family of madmen brought a daughter-in-law, she also turned out to be mad.
Birds of the same feather flock together.

manTini leji pa:~zuv
To cook six pounds in a pot which has capacity for three pounds only.
Mismanagement.

mandn'an sha:m gatshun
To turn the afternoon into an evening.
To be caught in a complex problem.
A hard blow.

ma:ji nI lakcI, tI se:ta:ras gila:ph
The mother hasn't a piece of cloth to put on, but the sitar has a covering.
Inappropriate expenditure.

ma:ji hund nI bo:y, ko:ri hund ma:m
If one is not mother's brother, how can he be the daughter's (maternal) uncle?
Relations are to be maintained and not just imposed.
Strained relations.

ma:li muphut tI dili be:rAham
Property by gift and a heart without mercy.
One does not value items received free or in gift.

muphtuk shara:b chu ka:zev co:mut
The free liquor has been taken even by religious judges.
Free things, good or bad, are accepted by all.

yakur mA:rith athan phakh
After killing a yakur (a kind of bird), hands will stink.
A bad deed leaves a bad taste.

yath lachas ti carsIy
Let us have hashish for this Lakh as well.
A spendthrift does not have a second thought while spending money.

yas vAtsh nAr, tAm' kheyi lukIhInz lAr
One who lifts an arm, does grab someone else's house.

yi tse chuy v>ndas, ti chuy nI candas
Whatever is in your heart, it is not in your pocket.
One may be generous at heart, but may not be able to afford it.

yirIvIn' na:v tI cirvun D>r
A boat adrift.
Disaster all around.

yi:t' tsA:~g' t'u:t ga:sh
As many lamps, as much illumination.
The more the merrier.

yeth' kor to:bI, tiy a:v ro:bI
Whatever one didn't want to do, one is forced to do the same.

yem' von poz, tas kADIkh Ach
He who speaks the truth, his eye is gouged out.
Truth is bitter.

yem' h'ot, su hot
The one who worries a lot, rots.
If you weep, your troubles heap.

yus phol su phol g>Day
Whatever has bloomed, has bloomed from the very bud.
Coming events cast their shadows before.

yus yuth a:si, tas t'uth ba:si
Everything appears of the same type as one would like it to be.

yusuy rochum tAs' nish rachtam kh>da:yo:
May God save me from the one, whom I saved (or brought up).

yot ta:m dam, tot ta:m gam
Worries last as long as life lasts.

rath vanday tI puj va:nuk
I will offer you the blood but of the butcher's shop.
To be kind at another's expense.

ru:d penay cha: rab v>tha:n?
There is no mud, unless it has rained.
There is always a reason behind every dispute.

log natI jog a:v pot phi:rith
The stupid fellow could not do the work and returned empty handed.

l>kca:r chuy m>kja:r
Childhood is freedom.

l>ti kh>tI lot chu nanIvo:ruy
The lightest is to be bare footed.
No property, no worries.

vA:nis chi gra:kh vani
The customers are known to the shopkeeper.

vadnas kh>sh, tI asnas v>sh
One who expresses hapiness on someone's cry, and sighs on someone's laughter.
A very jealous person.

vanIcan ya:ren kh>da:yi sund sag
God waters the pines of the jungle.
God takes care of the people who need it.

vav ba: vav tI lo:n ba: lo:n
As you sow, so shall you reap.

shAstaras chu shashtarIy tsaTa:n
The iron is cut only by iron.
Diamond cuts diamond.

sAndiji diva:n zA:l' tI hendIvendI tsala:n ni:rith
Saving mustard seeds in hand, and a watermelon escapes.
Penny wise pound foolish.

sezi ongji chhunI g'av khasa:n
The ghee (clarified butter) cannot be taken out (of a pot) with a straight finger.
Certain things cannot vbe achieved unless force is used.
Crookedness also pays sometimes.

su:r mAlith tsu:rI jama:th
A gang of thieves in the garb of saints.
A fake saint. A quack.

s>nas m>l kanas tal.
The gold (an ornament made of gold) is precious when it is worn in the ear.

haTi khash tI h>~gni mi:Th
To cut someone's throat and kiss his chin.
To show affection outwardly and to harm when an opportunity arises.

han han gAjiyo:, panIn' ha:n nI tsAjiyo:
Though one has reduced to nothing, but the habits have not changed at all.
An adamant person.

huni mAshi:di hund jin
The ghost of the deserted mosque.
A lonely fellow in the house.

hu:nis athi o:T manDIna:vun
To get flour kneaded by a dog.
To get skilled jobs done by unskilled workers.
 

Excerpts from:
A Dictionary of Kashmiri Proverbs (http://iils.org/pdf/DictionaryProverbs.pdf)
by Omkar N. Koul
Website: http://iils.org

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