Dhammapada verse 109
Chapter 8, The Thousands (Sahassavagga) · verses 100–115
“For one in the habit of bowing, always honoring the elders, four blessings grow: lifespan, beauty, happiness, and strength.”
Abhivādanasīlissa, niccaṁ vuḍḍhāpacāyino; Cattāro dhammā vaḍḍhanti, āyu vaṇṇo sukhaṁ balaṁ.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 109 mean?
Verse 109 belongs to chapter 8, The Thousands (Sahassavagga), which gathers verses 100–115 on comparisons with a thousand. It is filed under good & evil, happiness. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 108 and verse 110 are part of the same passage.
Sixteen verses that keep comparing one thing to a thousand. A single meaningful saying beats a thousand meaningless ones, one day of the disciplined life beats a hundred years of the undisciplined, and the chapter turns that arithmetic toward what a person does rather than what they recite.
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