🗣️ India: “Living in the water, one must befriend the crocodile”

Hindi proverb · Asia

जल में रहकर मगर से दुस्ती

jal meṁ rahkar magar se dustī

“Living in the water, one must befriend the crocodile”

You must make the best of dangerous company when you cannot escape it — adapt to survive in hostile surroundings.

About this proverb

This saying belongs to the oral tradition of India, a country in Asia. Read the full collection of India proverbs, or explore the Proverbs of the World index.

अब पछताए होत क्या, जब चिरिया फोटै बरिया

ab pachhtāe hot kyā, jab chiriya phuṭai bariyā

“What use is regret now, when the bird has flown from the trap?”

It is no use crying over spilt milk — repentance after the loss changes nothing.

Proverbs are traditional folk heritage (public domain); the translation and explanation are our own plain-English rendering. Stored statically.

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