Dhammapada verse 75
Chapter 5, The Fool (Bālavagga) · verses 60–75
“For the means to profit and the path to quenching are two quite different things. A mendicant disciple of the Buddha, understanding what this really means, would never delight in honors, but rather would foster seclusion.”
Aññā hi lābhūpanisā, aññā nibbānagāminī; Evametaṁ abhiññāya, bhikkhu buddhassa sāvako; Sakkāraṁ nābhinandeyya, vivekamanubrūhaye. Bālavaggo pañcamo.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 75 mean?
Verse 75 belongs to chapter 5, The Fool (Bālavagga), which gathers verses 60–75 on the fool. It is filed under wisdom & folly, 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 74 and verse 76 are part of the same passage.
The fool, in sixteen verses. The chapter is not kind about it: the fool who knows they are a fool is at least partly wise, the fool who thinks they are wise is beyond help, and the harm a fool does lands on themselves first. It includes the image of evil tasting sweet until it ripens.
More verses on this