Verses
For him who has completed the journey, who is sorrowless, wholly liberated in all respects, who has destroyed all fetters, no fever of passion exists.
Verse 1
The mindful ones exert themselves; they find no delight in an abode. Like swans abandoning a marshy lake, they leave home after home.
Verse 2
Those who have no accumulation, who comprehend food with wisdom, whose realm is the Void and Signless liberation, their path is as difficult to trace as that of birds in the sky.
Verse 3
Whose taints are entirely destroyed, who is not attached to sustenance, whose range is the Void and Signless liberation, his footprint is as untraceable as that of birds in the sky.
Verse 4
He whose senses are subdued, like horses well tamed by a skilled charioteer, who has discarded all pride and is free from taints — even the gods hold dear such a steadfast one.
Verse 5
Tolerant like the earth, he does not resent; firm like an Indra-pillar, steadfast in noble vows; like a deep lake free from mud — for such a poised being there are no further rebirths.
Verse 6
Calm is his mind, calm is his speech, and calm is his action, who is rightly liberated through perfect knowledge, peaceful and serene.
Verse 7
He who is not credulous (independent of hearsay), who knows the Uncreated (Nibbāna), who has severed rebirth-links, destroyed opportunities for rebirth, and vomited out all desires — he is indeed the highest of men.
Verse 8
Whether in the village or in the forest, in the valley or on the hills, wherever Arahants dwell, that place is truly delightful.
Verse 9
Delightful are the solitary forests where common folk find no delight; there the passionless will find delight, for they seek no sensual pleasures.
Verse 10
Background
This chapter belongs to the Pali Dhammapada (Khuddaka Nikaya, Pali Canon), Arahanta Vagga, verses 90–99. In early Buddhism, an Arahant ('Worthy One') is one who has uprooted the ten fetters (saṃyojana), realized Nibbāna in this very life, and will undergo no further rebirth. These verses were delivered at Jetavana near Sāvatthī, the Bamboo Grove (Veḷuvana) of Rājagaha, and Isipatana. Notable episodes in the Atthakathā commentary include the Buddha's stay at Jīvaka's Mango-grove, where the physician Jīvaka dressed the wound caused by Devadatta's rock (Dhp 90), the elder Kassapa residing peacefully in mountain caves, and the praise of Mahāmoggallāna and Sāriputta.
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.
Did You Know?
The Flight of Swans (Verse 91)
The mindful ones exert themselves continuously; they find no home in worldly possessions. Like royal swans rising up from a marshy lake, they leave home after home without backward glance.
The Trackless Sky (Verses 92–93)
For those who store up nothing and have direct insight into sustenance, whose dwelling is the Signless and Emptiness (Suññatā), their spiritual trajectory is as untraceable as the flight path of birds across the open blue sky.
The Indra-Pillar & The Patient Earth (Verse 95)
The Arahant is patient and forbearing like the solid earth upon which both pure and impure things are thrown; he is unshakable like the massive threshold-pillar (Indakhīla) of an ancient city.
The Paradoxical Supreme Man (Verse 97)
Verse 97 contains celebrated wordplay: 'Assaddho' (not credulous, having direct personal knowledge), 'Akataññū' (knower of the Unmade, Nibbāna), having cut off future rebirth, such a person is the greatest of humans.
Delight in Empty Forests (Verses 98–99)
Where worldlings see only terror and loneliness in deep empty jungles, there the passionless Arahant finds sublime bliss, because he seeks no sensual entertainment.
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