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

Hindi proverb · Asia

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.

About this proverb

Origin country	India
Region	Asia
Language	Hindi
Romanisation	ab pachhtāe hot kyā, jab chiriya phuṭai bariyā

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.

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.

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

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