Dhammapada verse 217
Chapter 16, The Beloved (Piyavagga) · verses 209–220
“One accomplished in virtue and vision, firmly principled, and truthful, doing oneself what ought be done: that’s who the people love.”
Sīladassanasampannaṁ, dhammaṭṭhaṁ saccavedinaṁ; Attano kamma kubbānaṁ, taṁ jano kurute piyaṁ.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 217 mean?
Verse 217 belongs to chapter 16, The Beloved (Piyavagga), which gathers verses 209–220 on the beloved, and the grief that follows. It is filed under self-discipline. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 216 and verse 218 are part of the same passage.
Twelve verses on the beloved, and this is the chapter that explains grief. Its argument is that sorrow follows from affection — the one you love, the thing you cannot lose — and it does not tell the reader to love less so much as to see what they have taken on. Verses 209–211 are the ones most often quoted.
More verses on this