Dhammapada verse 358
Chapter 24, Craving (Taṇhāvagga) · verses 334–359
“Weeds are the bane of crops, but delusion is these folk’s bane. That’s why a gift to one rid of delusion is so very fruitful.”
Tiṇadosāni khettāni, mohadosā ayaṁ pajā; Tasmā hi vītamohesu, dinnaṁ hoti mahapphalaṁ.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 358 mean?
Verse 358 belongs to chapter 24, Craving (Taṇhāvagga), which gathers verses 334–359 on craving. 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 357 and verse 359 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.