Dhammapada verse 178
Chapter 13, The World (Lokavagga) · verses 167–178
“The fruit of stream-entry is better than being the one king of the earth, than going to heaven, than lordship over all the world.”
Pathabyā ekarajjena, saggassa gamanena vā; Sabbalokādhipaccena, sotāpattiphalaṁ varaṁ. Lokavaggo terasamo.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 178 mean?
Verse 178 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 177 and verse 179 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.