Dhammapada verse 363
Chapter 25, Mendicants (Bhikkhuvagga) · verses 360–382
“When a mendicant of restrained mouth, thoughtful in counsel, not restless, explains the text and its meaning, their words are sweet.”
Yo mukhasaṁyato bhikkhu, mantabhāṇī anuddhato; Atthaṁ dhammañca dīpeti, madhuraṁ tassa bhāsitaṁ.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 363 mean?
Verse 363 belongs to chapter 25, Mendicants (Bhikkhuvagga), which gathers verses 360–382 on the mendicant’s day. It is filed under mind & intention, self-discipline, speech. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 362 and verse 364 are part of the same passage.
Twenty-three verses on the mendicant, meaning the monastic practitioner, and much of it is practical: restraint in the body, in speech and at the bowl, and contentment with what is giving. The chapter has less doctrine than chapter 24 and more description of how a day of practice is arranged.
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