Dhammapada verse 88
Chapter 6, The Astute (Paṇḍitavagga) · verses 76–89
“they’d long for satisfaction there. Forsaking sensual pleasures, owning nothing, an astute person would cleanse themselves of mental corruptions.”
Tatrābhiratimiccheyya, hitvā kāme akiñcano; Pariyodapeyya attānaṁ, cittaklesehi paṇḍito.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 88 mean?
Verse 88 belongs to chapter 6, The Astute (Paṇḍitavagga), which gathers verses 76–89 on the astute. 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 87 and verse 89 are part of the same passage.
The astute, the discerning, the one worth following, in fourteen verses. It balances the previous chapter: the wise person is described as one who advises, instructs and steers others away from harm, and the chapter includes the instruction not to keep company with the worst but to keep company with good friends.