Dhammapada 43

Neither mother nor father, nor any other relatives, can do as much for you as a rightly directed…

Neither mother nor father, nor any other relatives, can do as much for you as a rightly directed mind.

Translated from the Pāli by Banya

In plain words

A rightly directed mind can do you more good than your mother, father, or other relatives can. The verse emphasizes the exceptional benefit of directing the mind well.

Key words

sammāpaṇihita

rightly directed — Describes the orientation of the mind toward what is good.

The story behind the verse

Mother of two and father of two

In the commentary, Soreyya was a treasurer’s son who went out with a friend to bathe. He saw the monk Mahā Kaccāyana and formed a desirous thought about him, and the commentary says Soreyya was transformed into a woman and moved to Takkasilā. There Soreyya married and had children, in addition to the children already fathered, and the old friend later visited, learned what had happened, and advised asking the monk’s pardon. After the apology, Soreyya became a man again and entered the monastic community, and the commentary says Soreyya attained liberation, and the Buddha praised the change in his attachments.

Retold by Banya from the traditional commentary, after E. W. Burlingame, Buddhist Legends (1921).

Explanation by Banya. Traditional readings vary.