Not by mere eloquence nor by beauty of appearance is one a good person, if one is envious, miserly, and deceitful.

Physical appearance and verbal capacity do not determine moral quality. Vākkaraṇa is eloquence; vaṇṇapokkharatā is beauty of form. Both are external qualities that can mask internal defects: issukī (envious), maccharī (miserly), saṭho (deceitful).

The Buddhist tradition recognizes that appearance can deceive. Humans tend to associate physical beauty and eloquence with moral goodness — a bias this verse explicitly corrects.

In contemporary culture, this teaching is especially relevant: public image, media charisma, and communication capacity are not indicators of moral quality. The Buddhist approach always looks beyond surface.