A Dictionary of Kashmiri Proverbs - Koshur

A

Dictionary

Of

Kashmiri Proverbs

Omkar N. Koul

Indian Institute of Language Studies

2 A DICTIONARY OF KASHMIRI PROVERBS

A Dictionary of Kashmiri Proverbs

by

Omkar N. Koul C-13, Greenview Apartments Plot No. 33, Sector 9, Rohini, Dehli - 110085 onkoul@

First Edition 1992 Second Edition 2005

? The Author

Published by: Indian Institute of Language Studies Delhi

ISBN 81-86323-21-X

A DICTIONARY OF KASHMIRI PROVERBS 3

Preface

For the purpose of this dictionary, a proverb is defined as a statement that may contain an advice, a warning, a prediction or simply an observation. Idiomatic expressions and similies which are the part of the language are not included in this dictionary.

Proverbs are of different types. Some proverbs are simple folk sayings (for example, p tshis potsh khara:n `One guest does not like the other'). Such proverbs have their literary meaning quite prominent. Some proverbs are philosophical which aspire to deal with great mysteries and complexities of life (for example, bech nas n mandchun t bast khakhra:yi k'a:? `One who is not ashamed of begging, why should he be ashamed of the sound of his begging bag?'). Others are metaphorical in which the literal meaning is merely redundant (for example, g :v n'a:y bo:za:n s :ri:, da:d n'a:y n ka:h `Everyone listens to the dispute of the cow and no one listens to the dispute of the bull.' This means that women earn sympathy more readily than men). In this dictionary, all the three types of proverbs are listed.

A large number of proverbs listed in this collection have been handed down orally from generation to generation. Slight variations in their wordings are inevitable. Such proverbs have been listed in their most familiar form. Some common variants are also mentioned. The origins of the proverbs are obscure in most of the cases. Some of these are directly related to certain religious, cultural, historical and literary texts. A large number of them are quotes taken from the literary (especially poetic) compositions of famous saint poets like

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Lalleshwari and Sheikh Noor-ul-Din. They have become part of the folk wisdom. A number of proverbs are borrowed from Sanskrit and Perso-Arabic sources. The sources of proverbs have not been indicated.

A wide range of beliefs prevail regarding the wisdom of proverbs. Most common beliefs are as follows:

A good proverb is never out of season. Hold fast to the words of ancestors. Proverbs are the condensed good sense of nations. Wise men make proverbs and fools repeat them. A proverb is the wit of one and the wisdom of many. Time passes away but sayings remain. Proverbs are like butterflies, some are caught others fly away.

Proverbs in a language do reflect the socio-cultural milieu and wide range of experience of the people who use them in a particular society. They do not have to be always true. Folk wisdom is sometimes contradictory. For example, the following two proverbs regarding a couple or two friends are contradictory:

1. halen ba:nan vuk r' tha:n, hivis hiviy samkha:n `The twisted pots have twisted lids.' One meets the people of his/her own interests. (`Birds of the same feather flock together.')

2. naras khar t kharas nar A human being gets a donkey (as a companion) and a donkey gets a human

A DICTIONARY OF KASHMIRI PROVERBS 5

being. ( `One gets a partner just opposite to his/her expectations.')

Proverbs may or may not be regarded as a source of accumulated wisdom. They are seen as a collection of tags that enable thoughts to be communicated and exchanged.

Proverbs in any language have their own characteristics and style. They are short memorable statements. It is said, `A proverb is shorter than a bird's beak.' Proverbs are generally used and quoted extensively in conversations and literary texts.

Proverbs in Kashmiri are of different styles. Prominent types are as follows:

1. A simple statement tsu:this vuchith tsu:th rang rata:n `An apple gets its colour from another apple.'

2. Conjoined phrases a:yi v :nis t g yi ka:dris `(She) came to visit the shopkeeper but went to visit a baker instead'.

3. Question-answer style "m :j, vohava:n chumn ka:h." "potr vati peth beh." `Mother, no one abuses me.' `Son, go and sit on the road.'

Besides the use of terms of address, the question-answer style is also used with the help of a narrator. Consider the conversation between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law:

noshey kuth khas, dopnas a:m ts k'a: karni chas. `(My) daughter-in-law, go to your bedroom.' (She)

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