Kodhavagga · Anger · Gāthā 229
Yañce viññū pasaṃsanti, anuvicca suve suve; acchiddavuttiṃ medhāviṃ, paññāsīlasamāhitaṃ.
Yañce viññū pasaṃsanti, anuvicca suve suve; acchiddavuttiṃ medhāviṃ, paññāsīlasamāhitaṃ.
Whom the wise praise after daily observation, of faultless conduct, intelligent, endowed with wisdom and virtue,
Yañce viññū pasaṃsanti anuvicca suve suve — whom the wise praise after observing day after day: viññū are the wise, the intelligent. Anuvicca is having examined carefully. Suve suve is day after day. The praise of the wise is not superficial or impulsive — it comes after sustained observation.
Acchiddavuttiṃ medhāviṃ — of faultless conduct, intelligent: acchiddavutti is of conduct without cracks, without gaps; medhāvī is intelligent, of good practical understanding.
Paññāsīlasamāhitaṃ — endowed with wisdom and virtue: the combination of paññā (wisdom) and sīla (virtue) as qualities deserving the wise’s praise.
Verses 227-228 established that universal criticism or praise does not exist. Verses 229-230 refine: what matters is not everyone’s opinion but the specific praise of the wise (viññū) after careful observation. This is the only type of praise worth using as a criterion.