Dhammapada verse 302
Chapter 21, Miscellaneous (Pakiṇṇakavagga) · verses 290–305
“Going forth is hard, it’s hard to be happy; life at home is hard too, and painful, it’s painful to stay when you’ve nothing in common. A traveler is a prey to pain, so don’t be a traveler, don’t be prey to pain.”
Duppabbajjaṁ durabhiramaṁ, Durāvāsā gharā dukhā; Dukkhosamānasaṁvāso, Dukkhānupatitaddhagū; Tasmā na caddhagū siyā, Na ca dukkhānupatito siyā.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 302 mean?
Verse 302 belongs to chapter 21, Miscellaneous (Pakiṇṇakavagga), which gathers verses 290–305 on miscellaneous reflections. It is filed under happiness, suffering & grief. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 301 and verse 303 are part of the same passage.
Sixteen verses of miscellany, which is what the title means. The chapter collects short reflections that did not sit under one of the other headings — on speech and silence, on the mind, on what a person should hold to — and its lack of a single subject is itself part of the book’s shape.
More verses on this