Dhammapada verse 353
Chapter 24, Craving (Taṇhāvagga) · verses 334–359
“I am the vanquisher of all, the knower of all, unsullied in the midst of all things. I’ve given up all, freed in the ending of craving. Since I know for myself, whose follower should I be?”
Sabbābhibhū sabbavidūhamasmi, Sabbesu dhammesu anūpalitto; Sabbañjaho taṇhakkhaye vimutto, Sayaṁ abhiññāya kamuddiseyyaṁ.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 353 mean?
Verse 353 belongs to chapter 24, Craving (Taṇhāvagga), which gathers verses 334–359 on craving. It is filed under craving & attachment, good & evil, giving & merit. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 352 and verse 354 are part of the same passage.
Twenty-six verses on craving, and the longest sustained passage in the book. The image is thirst, then a creeper that spreads by night, then the house-builder who builds again and again until the rafters are broken. The chapter is the one most directly concerned with the mechanism by which the self renews its own difficulty.
More verses on this