Dhammapada verse 152
Chapter 11, Old Age (Jarāvagga) · verses 146–156
“A person of little learning ages like an ox— their flesh grows, but not their wisdom.”
Appassutāyaṁ puriso, balībaddhova jīrati; Maṁsāni tassa vaḍḍhanti, paññā tassa na vaḍḍhati.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 152 mean?
Verse 152 belongs to chapter 11, Old Age (Jarāvagga), which gathers verses 146–156 on old age. It is filed under wisdom & folly. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 151 and verse 153 are part of the same passage.
Eleven verses on old age. Its images are the body as a city built of bones and plastered with flesh, and old age and death driving life the way a cowherd drives cattle. The chapter is not only lament: it also contains the verses telling the reader to make an island of themselves and strive while there is time.
More verses on this