Dhammapada verse 208
Chapter 15, Happiness (Sukhavagga) · verses 197–208
“Therefore: An attentive one, wise and learned, a behemoth of virtue, true to their vows, noble: follow a true and intelligent person such as this, as the moon tracks the path of the stars.”
Tasmā hi— Dhīrañca paññañca bahussutañca, Dhorayhasīlaṁ vatavantamariyaṁ; Taṁ tādisaṁ sappurisaṁ sumedhaṁ, Bhajetha nakkhattapathaṁva candimā. Sukhavaggo pannarasamo.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 208 mean?
Verse 208 belongs to chapter 15, Happiness (Sukhavagga), which gathers verses 197–208 on happiness. It is filed under wisdom & folly, the path. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 207 and verse 209 are part of the same passage.
Twelve verses on happiness, and on where it is said to come from. The chapter is explicit that the happiness it means is not the happiness of acquisition: it is the happiness of one who has given up, who is free of fever, and it repeatedly sets that against the delight of people who are still tied to what they cling to.
More verses on this