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what is fitting, excellent, wise; In the absence of the sun, what is not the illumination of a lamp? 170. Therefore, a wise person, seeing his own good, Should carefully examine the Dhamma; thus he is purified therein. 171. What is the use of being born, robbing the mother of her youth? He does not rise to the top of his lineage, like a flag. 172. Having thoroughly examined, in letters and in places, The disciple might be a slayer of thieves, the teacher a maker of a den of thieves. 173. The doctrine, unrestrained, tames the untamed, it makes the haughty arrogant; The fiery eye-ointment, blinds like owls. 174. Humanity is rare in the world, knowledge is very rare therein; Poetry is rare therein, ability is very rare therein. 175. For when destruction is imminent for most beings, Unrighteousness, in the guise of righteousness, stands having reached the intellect. The Section on Good People 176. Endowed with faith, virtue, and other qualities, the best of humans, Is called by the Buddhas and other saints, a good and virtuous person. Wealth of faith, wealth of virtue, wealth of shame and fear, Wealth of learning and generosity, and wisdom is the seventh wealth. Whoever has these riches, whether woman or man, They call him not poor, his life is not in vain. Therefore, faith and virtue, serenity and the vision of the Dhamma, The wise one should pursue, remembering the Buddha's teaching. 177. Consorting with the good, Do not associate, But cultivate intimacy with the good; Understanding the good's Dhamma, One becomes better, not worse. 178. Avoid the company of the wicked, Seek the association of the virtuous; Do meritorious deeds day and night, Remember constantly impermanence. 179. He who is grateful and appreciative, A good friend, and of firm devotion; Diligently performs duties for the afflicted, Such a one they call a good person. 180. One who supports mother and father, Reveres elders in the family; Speaks gently and kindly, And abandons malicious talk. 181. One devoted to overcoming stinginess, Truthful, and subdues anger; Him the Tāvatiṃsa gods Call "a good person." 182. Born of good family, a son of good family, Well-protected of family lineage; Even when afflicted by personal suffering, He would not do a base deed. 183. The sun might rise in the west, Mount Meru might bow down; Fire might be cool, And a lotus bloom on a mountain peak; But the words of the good Will never be reversed. 184. Pleasant is the shade of a tree, Then relatives, mother, and father; Then the teacher, then the king, Then the Buddha in many ways. 185. Bees seek flowers, The virtuous seek good qualities; Flies seek filth, The wicked seek faults. 186. One lacking a mother is foul-mouthed, One lacking a father is of bad conduct; Both lacking mother and father Are foul-mouthed and of bad conduct. 187. One with a good mother is well-spoken, One with a good father is of good conduct; Both with good mother and father Are well-spoken and of good conduct. 188. A dog, seeing a dog, Shows its teeth to harm; A wicked person, seeing a good person, Gets angry and wants to harm. 189. Things should never be done With haste; A deed done rashly, The fool regrets later. 190. Having conquered anger, one never grieves, Sages praise the abandonment of conceit; One should forgive harsh words spoken by all, The virtuous call this the highest patience. 191. Painful is dwelling in a crowded, Unclean, and dangerous place; More so with an enemy, an unloved one, And most of all with an ungrateful person. 192. One should advise and instruct. And from the wicked he should keep away; For he is dear to the good, but disliked by the wicked. 193. With gentleness overcome the haughty, with kindness overcome the harsh; With a small gift overcome the miserly, with effort overcome the equal. 194. "It is not poison," one might say, but wealth is called the Saṅgha's; Poison kills only one, but the Saṅgha's wealth kills all. 195. Even a little wealth of the virtuous is a reliable refuge, like water in a well; But much wealth of the wicked is not like water in the ocean. 196. One should not desire what is unwholesome, nor think about what is unthinkable; One should think well only about the Dhamma, and not wish to waste time in vain. 197. Even the unthought-of happens, and the thought-of perishes; For enjoyments are not made by thought, whether for a woman or a man. 198. He is dear to the bad, but does not make the good dear; He approves of the dhamma of the wicked, that is the face of ruin. 199. Virtues perform the duty of messengers, for the good who live far away; Having smelled the fragrance of the ketaka flower, the bees go of their own accord. 200. Action done in a previous birth, that is called karma; Therefore, with manly effort, one should strive unweariedly. 201. The potter makes whatever he wishes from a lump of clay; Likewise, a youth experiences the karma done by himself. 202. Rising up, I should awaken others, for great danger is at hand; Of death, disease, and sorrow, which will fall upon us today? 203. As life is dear to oneself, so it is to other beings; The good, comparing others to themselves, show compassion to all beings. All tremble at the rod, all fear death; Comparing others to oneself, one should neither kill nor cause to kill. 204. Whether a child or an old man, or a youth who has come to the house; Worship should be done to him, for every guest is venerable. 205. Though crowded with the wicked, it is better to be unassociated; Here, one should go with the many of the same birth, born together. Chapter on Fools and the Wicked 206. Endowed with evil conduct of body and so on, a child of evil; Is called a fool by the world-protector, the lord of the Dhamma. 207. One who thinks evil thoughts, and speaks evil words; And does evil deeds, is called a fool. A worker, and a wicked young man. 208. One should not be too fond, of a rogue who causes trouble; Even if carrying him on one's head, like a half-full pot. 209. A snake is bad, a rogue is bad, a rogue is worse than a snake; That snake is calmed by mantras, but who calms a rogue? 210. The fool who recognizes his folly, is wise at least to that extent; But the fool who thinks himself wise, he is truly called a fool. 211. The fool thinks it honey, as long as evil does not ripen; But when evil ripens, then he falls into suffering. 212. It is not good that a fool is powerful, he gains wealth by violence; At the breaking up of the body, the unwise one goes to hell. 213. A mouse is bad in the house, and a monkey is bad in the forest; A crow is bad among birds, and a brahmin is bad among men. 214. Long is the night for the wakeful, long is the league for the weary; Long is the round of rebirths for fools, who do not know the good Dhamma. 215. He sees the small faults of others, even a tiny speck; But the faults as big as coconuts, the base-born does not see. 216. One should know one's own faults, one should know the faults of others; Like embers covered with ashes, he looks for the faults of others. 217. The greedy should be won with gifts, the stubborn with folded hands; The deluded with compliance, the wise with the truth. 218. Just as figs are ripe, red on the outside; But full of worms inside, so are the hearts of the wicked. 219. Even if a fool attends on a wise man, all his life; He does not understand the Dhamma, like a spoon the taste of soup. 220. If one does not find a companion, better or equal to oneself; Let one resolutely pursue a solitary course, there is no fellowship with a fool. 221. Of those not born, dead, or foolish, the first is better, not the last; For the last causes suffering at every step, the first but once. 222. One should not have enmity or friendship, with a wicked person; A hot ember burns, a cold one blackens the hand. 223. A wicked person who speaks sweetly, is not to be trusted; Honey is on the tip of his tongue, poison in his heart. 224. The wicked should be avoided, even if adorned with learning. Is not a snake, adorned with a jewel, frightening? 225. The good appear like coconut fruits. Others are like jujube fruits, charming only on the outside. Just as ripe fruits, are thorny only on the outside, but filled with nectar within, so are the hearts of the virtuous. Just as fig fruits, are red only on the outside, but filled with worms, so are the hearts of the wicked. 226. If one, fearing faults, does not begin, what kind of manly quality is that? Surely, fearing indigestion, food is not avoided? 227. Drinking milk for snakes, only increases their venom. Indeed, advice to fools, is for provocation, not for peace. 228. One should not stand, nor go, anywhere with the wicked. The wicked indeed give suffering, they never give happiness. 229. The unfettered are bound there, where fools shine. Even the bound are freed there, where the wise shine. 230. Just as one sinks in the great ocean, having climbed on a small raft, so too, one's good life sinks, having approached a lazy person. Therefore, one should avoid them, the lazy and lacking in energy. 231. Endowed with faith, virtue, and so on, a good friend, a virtuous person, such a friend should be cultivated, by one who desires growth and is discerning. 232. A friend should be measured, by the best qualities of giving and so on. Such a one, without crookedness, should be cultivated in mind by the wise. 333. One who does good is a true relative, a relative who does harm is an enemy. Harmful is a disease born of the body, beneficial is a forest-born medicine. 234. One who destroys tasks behind one's back, and is a sweet talker to one's face, avoid such a friend, a pot of poison with milk on the surface. 135. When one is without wealth, friends abandon, sons, wives, and siblings too. When one is wealthy, they attend,