Dhammapada verse 158
Chapter 12, The Self (Attavagga) · verses 157–166
“The astute would avoid being corrupted by first grounding themselves in what is suitable, and then instructing others.”
Attānameva paṭhamaṁ, patirūpe nivesaye; Athaññamanusāseyya, na kilisseyya paṇḍito.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 158 mean?
Verse 158 belongs to chapter 12, The Self (Attavagga), which gathers verses 157–166 on the self as one’s own responsibility. It is filed under no theme. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 157 and verse 159 are part of the same passage.
Ten verses on the self, understood here as one’s own responsibility rather than a permanent essence. The chapter says the self is the refuge and the self is the thing to train, and it warns against the person who is skilled at correcting others and not at correcting themselves.