อารัมภบทI shall now explain and expand upon the meaning of the Dhamma theme written above, as a guide for study and practice.

อธิบายบทตั้งTo explain: "Honour" (yasa) here means position, power, fame and followers. This saying warns that honour in the hands of one without wisdom becomes a means of destroying both himself and others.

ขยายความบทตั้งHonour and power are like a very powerful tool. In the hands of the wise, they are used to create benefit for the public; in the hands of the foolish, they are used to satisfy their own desires, such as using power to oppress others, seeking improper gain, or becoming so conceited that they ignore all warnings. Such actions harm others directly and in the end turn back to harm oneself, leading to the loss of respect, to punishment and to the loss of that very honour.

ขยายความบทตั้งThis saying teaches that gaining honour is not simply something to rejoice over, but a responsibility that requires wisdom and virtue to maintain. Those who will receive important positions should prepare themselves, and those responsible for selecting people for positions should consider their wisdom and conduct rather than merely their ability or closeness.

ประโยคสะพาน + ที่มา ๑Even when wealth is gone, the wise can still live, because wisdom is the means to earn wealth and solve life's problems, whereas one without wisdom, even with great wealth, cannot live securely. This accords with the Buddha's saying found in Khuddaka Nikāya, Theragāthā:

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑To explain: This saying compares the value of wisdom with that of wealth and shows that wisdom is more secure, because it is the tool for acquiring wealth, preserving it and living well in every situation.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑The wise can live even when their wealth is gone because they know how to find a way out, how to adapt, how to start again and how to use their knowledge and ability to generate income anew. Those without wisdom, however much wealth they have, may spend it without understanding its value, be easily deceived, or invest wrongly until their wealth is gone, and once it is gone they do not know how to go on living. "Cannot live" here means cannot live securely and with quality.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑This saying does not teach that wealth is unimportant. Wealth is a condition that makes life more comfortable and enables one to do more good. But wealth is external and can be lost for many reasons, whereas wisdom is internal and stays with us. Those who invest in developing their wisdom are like people building a secure guarantee for their lives.

ประโยคสะพาน + ที่มา ๒When knowledge and ability are not guided by virtue, the one who has them tends to misuse them. Knowledge then does more harm than good and wears away whatever goodness remains in their own heart. This accords with the Buddha's saying found in Khuddaka Nikāya, Dhammapada:

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๒To explain: This saying warns that knowledge or skill arising in a fool, that is, in someone without virtue who lacks the wisdom to use it, becomes a source of harm rather than benefit.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๒"The bright portion" means the goodness, virtue and fine qualities still present in that person, while "splits his head" means that it twists his thinking and leads him astray. For when a fool has knowledge or special abilities, he tends to use them wrongly, such as to harm others or to seek improper gain. As he does so again and again, the goodness he once had gradually disappears, and the evil brings trouble upon himself.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๒In the Dhammapada, this saying concerns someone who trained in a skill until he was expert, but used that skill to harm others and so suffered bad consequences. This story shows that knowledge is only a tool; whether it brings benefit or harm depends on the user. This saying therefore does not teach that knowledge is bad, but that education must go together with training in virtue, and those who gain knowledge must take care to use it rightly.

ตัวอย่างในชีวิตIn daily life, someone who becomes a supervisor and uses power to bully subordinates damages the working atmosphere and is eventually opposed. Someone famous online who uses that fame to promote deceptive products harms followers and loses credibility. A student who becomes class monitor and lords it over classmates does not receive their cooperation. But those who use their positions with humility and fairness earn genuine respect.

สรุปTo conclude: Those who receive honour or position should therefore let wisdom guide the use of power, remember duties more than rights, and use that honour for the benefit of all. This accords with the Dhamma saying set forth as the theme at the beginning:

ปิดท้ายThus has the meaning been explained, as set forth above.