First, let it be heard
The verse
Hover a word to see its split · tap on mobile
In plain words
It is easy for anyone to be wise when advising others. To live by one’s own principles is the work of a rare person.
If you want to say it
paropadeśe pāṇḍityaṁ sarveṣāṁ sukaraṁ nṛṇām | dharme svīyam anuṣṭhānaṁ kasyacit tu mahātmanaḥ ||
What does it convey?
This is not cynical about advice. It simply notices a familiar gap: we often see clearly what another person should do, yet make exceptions when the same standard reaches us. The verse calls integrity the moment when what we recommend can survive contact with our own life.
The beauty of this verse
Advice needs words. Practice needs a life.
The first half is almost effortless: being learned in advising others is easy for everyone. Then the verse turns. Following one’s own dharma is not presented as impossible, only rare. That contrast gives the final word, महात्मनः, its weight. Greatness here is not grand achievement. It is the difficult alignment of what one says and what one does.