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The Dhammapada · 2 of 2 · tr. F. Max Müller

Chapter VIII, Section 1b

Buddhism, however, acknowledges the existence of some of the Hindu deities, and from the various friendly offices which those Devas are said to have rendered to Gotama, Buddhists evince a respect for their idols.' See also Buddhaghosha's Parables, p. 162.] p. 32 victory of a man who has vanquished himself, and always lives under restraint. 106. If a man for a hundred years sacrifice month after month with a thousand, and if he but for one moment pay homage to a man whose soul is grounded (in true knowledge), better is that homage than sacrifice for a hundred years. 107. If a man for a hundred years worship Agni (fire) in the forest, and if he but for one moment pay homage to a man whose soul is grounded (in true knowledge), better is that homage than sacrifice for a hundred years. 108. Whatever a man sacrifice in this world as an offering or as an oblation for a whole year in order to gain merit, the whole of it is not worth a quarter (a farthing); reverence shown to the righteous is better. p. 33 109. He who always greets and constantly reveres the aged, four things will increase to him, viz. life, beauty, happiness, power. 110. But he who lives a hundred years, vicious and unrestrained, a life of one day is better if a man is virtuous and reflecting. 111. And he who lives a hundred years, ignorant and unrestrained, a life of one day is better if a man is wise and reflecting. 112. And he who lives a hundred years, idle and weak, a life of one day is better if a man has attained firm strength. 113. And he who lives a hundred years, not seeing beginning and end, a life of one day is better if a man sees beginning and end. 114. And he who lives a hundred years, not seeing the immortal place, a life of one day is better if a man sees the immortal place. 115. And he who lives a hundred years, not seeing the highest law, a life of one day is better if a man sees the highest law. [109. Dr. Fausböll, in a most important note, called attention to the fact that the same verse, with slight variations, occurs in Manu. We there read, II, 121: Abhivâdana s îlasya nitya m v ri ddhopasevina h , K atvâri sampravardhante âyur vidyâ ya s o balam. Here the four things are, life, knowledge, glory, power. In the Âpastamba-sûtras, I, 2, 5, 15, the reward promised for the same virtue is svargam âyus k a, 'heaven and long life.' It seems, therefore, as if the original idea of this verse came from the Brahmans, and was afterwards adopted by the Buddhists. How largely it spread is shown by Dr. Fausböll from the Asiatic Researches, XX, p. 259, where the same verse of the Dhammapada is mentioned as being in use among the Buddhists of Siam. 112. On kusîto, see note to verse 7 .]
Themes
◆Detachment Gelassenheitpraxis

Eckhart's Abgeschiedenheit/Gelassenheit — radical letting-go of will, image, and grasping that opens the soul to God; distinct from inner_silence (quietness) and from material renunciation, and adjacent to Sufi tark and Buddhist non-grasping as a practice rather than a metaphysical claim.

The passage emphasizes living under restraint and not being idle or weak, aligning with a state of non-grasping.

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◆Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

The text repeatedly prioritizes reverence for a man whose soul is grounded in true knowledge over ritual sacrifices or worship of deities.

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◆Good Thought Word Deedethics

The Zoroastrian triad of right thought, right speech, and right action as the foundation of ethical life; truth-in-living.

The passage values wisdom and reflection over ritual sacrifice, aligning with the Zoroastrian triad of right thought and action.

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◆Kingdom Withinanthropology

The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.

True knowledge and the immortal place are described as internal states accessible through personal insight rather than external worship.

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◆Meditationpraxis

Disciplined inward attention — sitting, focused, or open-awareness practice — as a stand-alone term that umbrellas active_contemplation, inner_silence, and dhyana-style sitting.

The instruction to live under restraint and see beginning and end implies disciplined inward attention.

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◆Paradox As Teachingethics

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

The text uses the paradox that a life of one day is better than a hundred years for the wise or virtuous.

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◆Prayerpraxis

Direct address to the divine, whether petitionary, contemplative, or liturgical; speech and silence offered upward.

The passage mentions paying homage and reverence to deities and the righteous as spiritual practices.

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◆Ritual Firepraxis

Fire as medium of divine presence.

Verse 107 explicitly compares the worship of Agni (fire) with reverence for a man grounded in true knowledge.

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◆Self Knowledgesoteriology

The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.

The passage repeatedly emphasizes that seeing beginning and end or knowing the highest law is superior to material offerings.

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◆Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

The text mentions seeing the immortal place and highest law as states of attainment.

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◆Theosis Deificationsoteriology

The doctrine — central to Eastern Orthodox and Maximian theology — that the human person is progressively transformed into a partaker of the divine nature by grace, not merely justified or united in passing ecstasy.

The righteous man is described as having a soul grounded in true knowledge, implying a transformed state akin to deification.

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Related passages · 1 parallel
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 9 (part 4)
“The souls of the dead could also be commended to the care of the gods above by the gods of Annu, and thus we find it said in the pyramid of Unas: "O gods of the west, O gods of the east, O gods of the south, O gods of the north, ye four [or…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of righteousness and reverence for higher beings or enlightened individuals. The Egyptian Book of the Dead highlights the deceased's journey to join the gods and partake in their divine life, while the Dhammapada stresses the value of respecting those grounded in true knowledge, drawing a parallel in the reverence for higher spiritual entities.