Dhammapada verse 166
Chapter 12, The Self (Attavagga) · verses 157–166
“Never neglect what is good for yourself for the sake of another, however great. Knowing well what is good for yourself, be intent upon your heart’s goal.”
Attadatthaṁ paratthena, bahunāpi na hāpaye; Attadatthamabhiññāya, sadatthapasuto siyā. Attavaggo dvādasamo.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 166 mean?
Verse 166 belongs to chapter 12, The Self (Attavagga), which gathers verses 157–166 on the self as one’s own responsibility. It is filed under self-discipline. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 165 and verse 167 are part of the same passage.
Ten verses on the self, understood here as one’s own responsibility rather than a permanent essence. The chapter says the self is the refuge and the self is the thing to train, and it warns against the person who is skilled at correcting others and not at correcting themselves.
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