Dhammapada verse 352
Chapter 24, Craving (Taṇhāvagga) · verses 334–359
“Rid of craving, free of grasping, expert in the definition of terms, knowing the correct structure and sequence of syllables, they are said to be one who bears their final body, one of great wisdom, a great person.”
Vītataṇho anādāno, Niruttipadakovido; Akkharānaṁ sannipātaṁ, Jaññā pubbāparāni ca; Sa ve “antimasārīro, Mahāpañño mahāpuriso”ti vuccati.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 352 mean?
Verse 352 belongs to chapter 24, Craving (Taṇhāvagga), which gathers verses 334–359 on craving. It is filed under craving & attachment, wisdom & folly. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 351 and verse 353 are part of the same passage.
Twenty-six verses on craving, and the longest sustained passage in the book. The image is thirst, then a creeper that spreads by night, then the house-builder who builds again and again until the rafters are broken. The chapter is the one most directly concerned with the mechanism by which the self renews its own difficulty.
More verses on this