Dhammapada verse 38
Chapter 3, The Mind (Cittavagga) · verses 33–43
“Those of unsteady mind, who don’t understand the true teaching, and whose confidence wavers, do not perfect their wisdom.”
Anavaṭṭhitacittassa, saddhammaṁ avijānato; Pariplavapasādassa, paññā na paripūrati.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 38 mean?
Verse 38 belongs to chapter 3, The Mind (Cittavagga), which gathers verses 33–43 on the mind and its taming. It is filed under mind & intention, wisdom & folly. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 37 and verse 39 are part of the same passage.
Eleven verses on the mind, which the chapter describes as hard to hold back, flighty, subtle, and quick to alight wherever it will. The argument is not that the mind should be stopped but that it should be tamed: a guarded mind brings happiness, and a wrongly directed mind does more harm than an enemy. It is the shortest chapter in the book after the one on the perfected.
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