Dhammapada verse 55
Chapter 4, Flowers (Pupphavagga) · verses 44–59
“Among all the fragrances— sandalwood or pinwheel or lotus or jasmine— the fragrance of virtue is supreme.”
Candanaṁ tagaraṁ vāpi, uppalaṁ atha vassikī; Etesaṁ gandhajātānaṁ, sīlagandho anuttaro.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 55 mean?
Verse 55 belongs to chapter 4, Flowers (Pupphavagga), which gathers verses 44–59 on flowers, and what they stand for. 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 54 and verse 56 are part of the same passage.
Sixteen verses that use flowers as their working image — garlands made from a heap, a blossom that falls, a fragrance that travels with the wind or does not. The chapter moves from that image to speech, to the person who gathers what is worth gathering, and to the end of the body. It also holds the verse on knowing the body as foam and a mirage.