Loka Vagga: The World (Verses 167–178) – Lyrics in English with Meaning & PDF

Verses

Hinam dhammam na seveyya, pamadena na samvase; Micchaditthim na seveyya, na siya lokavaddhano.

What it means

Do not follow low, ignoble ways; do not live in heedlessness; do not harbor false views; do not be one who prolongs the rounds of worldly rebirth.

Verse 1

Uttitthe nappamajjeyya, dhammam sucaritam care; Dhammacari sukham seti, asmim loke paramhi ca.

What it means

Rouse yourself! Be not heedless! Lead a life of righteous conduct! The practitioner of Dhamma lives happily in this world and in the next.

Verse 2

Dhammam care sucaritam, na nam duccaritam care; Dhammacari sukham seti, asmim loke paramhi ca.

What it means

Practice the Dhamma of wholesome conduct; do not practice wrong conduct. The practitioner of Dhamma lives happily in this world and in the next.

Verse 3

Yatha bubbulakam passe, yatha passe maricikam; Evam lokam avekkhantam, maccuraja na passati.

What it means

As one would look upon a water bubble, as one would look upon a mirage, so regarding the world, the King of Death sees one not.

Verse 4

Etha passathimam lokam, cittam rajarathupamam; Yattha bala visidanti, natthi sango vijanatam.

What it means

Come, behold this world, ornate like a royal chariot! Wherein fools founder, but for the wise there is no attachment.

Verse 5

Yo ca pubbe pamajjitva, paccha so nappamajjati; So mam lokam pabhaseti, abbha mutto va candima.

What it means

He who was formerly heedless, but afterwards becomes heedful, illuminates this world like the moon freed from a cloud.

Verse 6

Yassa papam katam kammam, kusalena pithiyati; So mam lokam pabhaseti, abbha mutto va candima.

What it means

Whose done evil action is covered over and transcended by wholesome deeds, illuminates this world like the moon freed from a cloud.

Verse 7

Andhabhuto ayam loko, tanukettha vipassati; Sakuno jalamutto va, appo saggaya gacchati.

What it means

Blind is this world; few here perceive with insight. Like a bird freed from a fowler's net, few are those who go to heaven (or attain liberation).

Verse 8

Hamsadiccapathe yanti, akase yanti iddhiya; Niyanti dhira lokamha, jetva maram savahinim.

What it means

Swans wing their way along the path of the sun; adepts fly through the air by supernormal psychic power; the wise are led out of this world, having conquered Māra and his army.

Verse 9

Ekam dhammam atitassa, musavadissa jantuno; Vitinnaparalokassa, natthi papam apariyam.

What it means

For a person who transgresses a single principle (truthfulness), who speaks deliberate lies, and scoffs at the hereafter, there is no evil that he cannot do.

Verse 10

Na ve kadariya devalokam vajanti, bala have nappasamsanti danam; Dhiro ca danam anumodamano, teneva so hoti sukhi parattha.

What it means

Truly the miserly do not go to the realm of the devas; fools indeed do not praise generosity; but the wise person rejoices in giving, and thereby becomes happy in the hereafter.

Verse 11

Pathavya ekarajjena, saggassa gamanena va; Sabbalokadhipaccena, sotapattiphalam varam.

What it means

Better than absolute sovereignty over the earth, better than going to heaven, better than rulership over all the worlds, is the fruit of Stream-Entry (Sotāpatti).

Verse 12

Background

This chapter belongs to the Pali Dhammapada (Khuddaka Nikaya, Pali Canon), Loka Vagga, verses 167–178. Delivered in Sāvatthi and during the Buddha's return to his ancestral homeland of Kapilavatthu, the Loka Vagga touches key turning points in early Buddhist history. The Atthakathā commentary associates Verses 168–169 with the moment the Buddha walked the streets of Kapilavatthu on his first alms-round, admonishing his father King Suddhodana to awaken to the Dhamma. Verse 173 reflects the dramatic redemption of the murderous bandit Aṅgulimāla who became a gentle Arahant, and Verse 178 was uttered regarding the lay devotee Anāthapiṇḍika's son Kāla.

About this Text

Composed by: Gautama Buddha · Founder of Buddhism · c. 5th–6th century BCE, Northern India/Nepal

Born Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini, he attained enlightenment and spent the rest of his life teaching the Dhamma across northern India. His discourses (Suttas), preserved orally for generations before being written down in the Pali Canon, form the doctrinal foundation of Buddhism.

More by Gautama Buddha

The Three Refuges: Taking Refuge in the Triple Gem The Discourse on Loving-Kindness (Mettā Sutta)A Dedication of Merit to Departed Relatives The Chapter on the Mind (Cittavagga)The Discourse on the Jewels (Ratana Sutta)The Twin Verses (Yamaka Vagga) from the Dhammapada

Did You Know?

The Bubble and Mirage (Verse 170)

Look upon this world as a fragile bubble on water, regard it as a fleeting desert mirage; viewing the world in this manner, the King of Death cannot track you.

The Ornate Royal Chariot (Verse 171)

'Come, look upon this world, resembling a gilded royal chariot!' Fools sink helplessly in its superficial glitter, but the wise harbor no attachment to its illusions.

The Moon Freed from Clouds (Verses 172–173)

One who was formerly heedless but becomes diligent, or whose past unwholesome deeds are submerged under a torrent of good kamma (like Aṅgulimāla), illuminates the entire world like the full moon emerging from behind dark monsoon clouds.

Swans on the Solar Highway (Verse 175)

Swans fly high along the track of the sun; adepts travel through the sky by mental mastery; but the truly wise cross completely beyond this mundane world, having decisively conquered Māra and his deceptive army.

Stream-Entry Surpasses World-Empires (Verse 178)

Greater than absolute sole sovereignty over the entire earth, greater than ascending to the highest heavenly realm of the devas, and greater than supreme lordship over all cosmic worlds is the first fruit of entering the Stream of Dhamma (Sotāpatti-phala).

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