Dhammapada verse 82
Chapter 6, The Astute (Paṇḍitavagga) · verses 76–89
“Like a deep lake, clear and unclouded, so clear are the astute when they hear the teachings.”
Yathāpi rahado gambhīro, vippasanno anāvilo; Evaṁ dhammāni sutvāna, vippasīdanti paṇḍitā.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 82 mean?
Verse 82 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 81 and verse 83 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.