Dhammapada verse 181
Chapter 14, The Buddhas (Buddhavagga) · verses 179–196
“The attentive intent on absorption, who love the peace of renunciation, the Buddhas, ever mindful, are envied by even the gods.”
Ye jhānapasutā dhīrā, nekkhammūpasame ratā; Devāpi tesaṁ pihayanti, sambuddhānaṁ satīmataṁ.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 181 mean?
Verse 181 belongs to chapter 14, The Buddhas (Buddhavagga), which gathers verses 179–196 on the Buddhas and the awakened. It is filed under mind & intention, the path, the buddha & teachers. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 180 and verse 182 are part of the same passage.
Eighteen verses on the Buddhas, the awakened, and what makes a teacher worth following. It is the chapter that gives the famous line about not doing evil, doing good and purifying the mind, and it treats the awakened person as the one case in which a teacher is beyond reproach.
More verses on this