Dhammapada verse 149
Chapter 11, Old Age (Jarāvagga) · verses 146–156
“These dove-grey bones are tossed away like dried gourds in the autumn— what joy is there in such a sight?”
Yānimāni apatthāni, alābūneva sārade; Kāpotakāni aṭṭhīni, tāni disvāna kā rati.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 149 mean?
Verse 149 belongs to chapter 11, Old Age (Jarāvagga), which gathers verses 146–156 on old age. It is filed under happiness. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 148 and verse 150 are part of the same passage.
Eleven verses on old age. Its images are the body as a city built of bones and plastered with flesh, and old age and death driving life the way a cowherd drives cattle. The chapter is not only lament: it also contains the verses telling the reader to make an island of themselves and strive while there is time.
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