Dhammapada verse 172
Chapter 13, The World (Lokavagga) · verses 167–178
“He who once was heedless, but turned to heedfulness, shines upon this world like the moon freed from clouds.”
Yo ca pubbe pamajjitvā, pacchā so nappamajjati; Somaṁ lokaṁ pabhāseti, abbhā muttova candimā.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 172 mean?
Verse 172 belongs to chapter 13, The World (Lokavagga), which gathers verses 167–178 on the world, and not following it. It is filed under no theme. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 171 and verse 173 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.