Dhammapada verse 173
Chapter 13, The World (Lokavagga) · verses 167–178
“Someone whose bad deed is supplanted by the good, shines upon this world, like the moon freed from clouds.”
Yassa pāpaṁ kataṁ kammaṁ, kusalena pidhīyati; Somaṁ lokaṁ pabhāseti, abbhā muttova candimā.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 173 mean?
Verse 173 belongs to chapter 13, The World (Lokavagga), which gathers verses 167–178 on the world, and not following it. 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 172 and verse 174 are part of the same passage.
Twelve verses on the world and on not following it. The chapter contrasts the person who sees the world as a bubble or a mirage with the crowd that does not, and it holds the line that the world is blind and only a few see clearly.