Dhammapada verse 97
Chapter 7, The Perfected Ones (Arahantavagga) · verses 90–99
“Lacking faith, a house-breaker, one who acknowledges nothing, purged of hope, they’ve wasted their chance: that is indeed the supreme person!”
Assaddho akataññū ca, sandhicchedo ca yo naro; Hatāvakāso vantāso, sa ve uttamaporiso.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 97 mean?
Verse 97 belongs to chapter 7, The Perfected Ones (Arahantavagga), which gathers verses 90–99 on the perfected ones. 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 96 and verse 98 are part of the same passage.
Ten verses on the perfected ones — those whose defilements are ended, who are unattached, whose minds are peaceful. It is the shortest chapter and the most compressed: most of its verses consist of a single portrait rather than an argument, and it ends on the figure of one who has crossed over and is free of sorrow.