Dhammapada verse 259
Chapter 19, The Just (Dhammaṭṭhavagga) · verses 256–272
“You’re not one who has memorized the teaching just because you recite a lot. Someone who directly sees the teaching after hearing only a little is truly one who has memorized the teaching, for they can never forget it.”
Na tāvatā dhammadharo, yāvatā bahu bhāsati; Yo ca appampi sutvāna, dhammaṁ kāyena passati; Sa ve dhammadharo hoti, yo dhammaṁ nappamajjati.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 259 mean?
Verse 259 belongs to chapter 19, The Just (Dhammaṭṭhavagga), which gathers verses 256–272 on what makes a person just. 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 258 and verse 260 are part of the same passage.
Seventeen verses on the just person. Most of the chapter is a series of distinctions: you do not become just by passing hasty judgment, by seniority, by eloquence, or by complexion. The chapter defines the just person by what they weigh, not by what they claim.