Let one first establish oneself in what is proper; then instruct others. For the self is truly difficult to tame.

Attā hi kira duddamo — for the self is truly difficult to tame: duddama is difficult to tame. Kira is a particle adding emphasis — “truly, indeed.” This verse repeats the first part of 158 but changes the conclusion: instead of “will not be stained,” the reason for establishing oneself first in what is proper is that one’s own self is the most difficult material to work with.

The repetition with variation enriches the teaching. Verse 158 spoke of benefit (not contaminating oneself); 159 speaks of difficulty (the self is hard to tame). Both motivate the same practice but from different angles.

The self (attā) here is character, tendencies, mental habits — not the metaphysical self that Buddhism rejects. This functional self is the most difficult material to work with because one cannot take distance from it: it is both the craftsman and the material at once.

In the yogic tradition, svādhyāya (self-study) recognizes the same difficulty: studying oneself requires the honesty to see one’s own shadows without the distance that studying the external allows.