Dhammapada verse 45
Chapter 4, Flowers (Pupphavagga) · verses 44–59
“A trainee bestirs this earth, and the Yama realm with its gods. A trainee sets out the well-taught word of truth, as an expert a flower.”
Sekho pathaviṁ vicessati, Yamalokañca imaṁ sadevakaṁ; Sekho dhammapadaṁ sudesitaṁ, Kusalo pupphamiva pacessati.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 45 mean?
Verse 45 belongs to chapter 4, Flowers (Pupphavagga), which gathers verses 44–59 on flowers, and what they stand for. 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 44 and verse 46 are part of the same passage.
Sixteen verses that use flowers as their working image — garlands made from a heap, a blossom that falls, a fragrance that travels with the wind or does not. The chapter moves from that image to speech, to the person who gathers what is worth gathering, and to the end of the body. It also holds the verse on knowing the body as foam and a mirage.