Dhammapada verse 205
Chapter 15, Happiness (Sukhavagga) · verses 197–208
“Having drunk the nectar of seclusion and the nectar of peace— free of stress, free of evil, drink the joyous nectar of truth.”
Pavivekarasaṁ pitvā, rasaṁ upasamassa ca; Niddaro hoti nippāpo, dhammapītirasaṁ pivaṁ.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 205 mean?
Verse 205 belongs to chapter 15, Happiness (Sukhavagga), which gathers verses 197–208 on happiness. It is filed under good & evil, happiness. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 204 and verse 206 are part of the same passage.
Twelve verses on happiness, and on where it is said to come from. The chapter is explicit that the happiness it means is not the happiness of acquisition: it is the happiness of one who has given up, who is free of fever, and it repeatedly sets that against the delight of people who are still tied to what they cling to.
More verses on this