Dhammapada verse 171
Chapter 13, The World (Lokavagga) · verses 167–178
“Come, see this world decked out like a fancy royal chariot. Here fools founder, but the discerning are not chained.”
Etha passathimaṁ lokaṁ, cittaṁ rājarathūpamaṁ; Yattha bālā visīdanti, natthi saṅgo vijānataṁ.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 171 mean?
Verse 171 belongs to chapter 13, The World (Lokavagga), which gathers verses 167–178 on the world, and not following it. It is filed under wisdom & folly. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 170 and verse 172 are part of the same passage.
Twelve verses on the world and on not following it. The chapter contrasts the person who sees the world as a bubble or a mirage with the crowd that does not, and it holds the line that the world is blind and only a few see clearly.
More verses on this