Lord Buddha relinquished his entire kingdom in search of nirvana, which is the ultimate path to get deliverance from this difficult cycle of birth and death. Human beings yearn for pleasure (sukha), but they get suffering and grief (dukha) due to their ego (ahankar) and incessant yearning for materialistic things (trishna). According to Lord Buddha, the only way to achieve deliverance from this tedious process of rebirth is to abandon all desires and attachments and resort to meditation. This is the only way to be absolved of the cycle of life and death and achieve eternal bliss and happiness. Dhammapada entails the teachings of Lord Buddha which were given in Varanasi in India after he attained enlightenment. These teachings were originally written in Pali language and were translated into various languages later. The Teachings of Buddha is a collection of the same 423 sermons delivered by Lord Buddha. The sermons have been translated into English poetry and presented in 26 chapters based on the different attributes of man.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr Sant Kumar Bhatnagar, scientist and technologist by profession holds M.Sc. (Vikram University), and M.Tech. and Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India. His career spanned over four decades where he dedicated himself to the service of Rubber Industry. After a short stint as a Lecturer in IIT and as a scientist with CSIR, he moved to the industry and worked with Bata (India) Limited, Bayer India Limited, Indian Petrochemicals Corp, and finally with Aditya Birla Group in Thailand. There he worked with Thai Carbon Black Co. and later joined Thai Epoxy & Allied Products Co. of the group as the President. He retired in 2000. Dr Bhatnagar lately started writing books related to religion. His first book, Srimad Bhagavad Gita in simple Hindi poetry, became a success and he received letters of appreciation from the former President of India and also from the former Prime Minister of India. Its English version has been published by Pustak Mahal. His another book Dhammapada in Hindi poetry, is also ready for publication.
CONTENTS:
Preface
Lord Buddha
Basic concepts of life as viewed by Buddha
Significant Features of Dhammapada
Chapter – 1 : The Pairs
Chapter – 2 : Earnestness
Chapter – 3 : The Mind
Chapter – 4 : The Flower
Chapter – 5 : The Ignorant Fool
Chapter – 6 : The Wise
Chapter – 7 : The Perfect One
Chapter – 8 : The Thousands
Chapter – 9 : The Evil
Chapter – 10 : Punishment
Chapter – 11 : The Old Age
Chapter – 12 : The Self
Chapter – 13 : The World
Chapter – 14 : The Enlightened One
Chapter – 15 : Happiness
Chapter – 16 : Affection
Chapter – 17 : Anger
Chapter – 18 : Impurity
Chapter – 19 : Righteousness
Chapter – 20 : The Path
Chapter – 21 : Miscellaneous
Chapter – 22 : The Hell
Chapter – 23 : The Elephant
Chapter – 24 : The Craving
Chapter – 25 : The Bhikshu
Chapter – 26 : The Brahmin
Bibliography

AN EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK

Significant Features of Dhammapada
When Lord Buddha passed away, almost 500 of his Arhant and disciples, led by Monk Kashyapa, gathered at Rajagaha. They decided to write down the salient features of preaching of Lord Buddha during the past many years, so that they can be the moral and spiritual guide to many of the present monks or to those who will be there in future.

With the guru no longer with them, they took up the massive job and faithfully jotted down the salient features of over 300 discourses of the Buddha. In final form, it was placed in written scribe in Pali language which was called Dhammapada.
Dhammapada has since then been translated into many languages. It is the most beloved scripture of Buddhists. The salient features of the teachings of Lord Buddha enshrined in this book, preach not only to the monks but the entire mankind at large, the path of dhamma. The path of dhamma is no doubt very tedious and full of impediments, but it is necessary and is binding on us all to tread on dhamma so that we could be useful human beings. If there is no dhamma, the whole world will be ruled by rogues and there will be no respect to each other. Only path of dhamma has saved this mankind from ruination.
Bouquet of Wisdom
The very first chapter of Dhammapada says that our thoughts govern us and we tend to do right or wrong by virtue of these thoughts. However, in the ensuing chapters he explains that we can master and control our mind so that bad thoughts do not dare come near us and we think right and act right. These are also two of the eightfold truths enunciated by Lord Buddha and explained in early pages.
Dhammapada embraces all the four truths, eightfold path and five precepts, and shows the way to ameliorate oneself by abandoning desires, carnal lust, greed and wishful thinking. All these things give rise to fear, anger and greed which are the main cause of man’s ruination. It becomes more apparent, therefore, that man should behave well with his kind speech, his kind words, and be reticent in useless gossips. Man should remain calm and serene to be happy and this is only possible if he masters his senses and keeps them under his control:
Our thoughts only, direct our actions,
Noble speech provide us delectations.
With mind in peace, happiness follows,
And never leave us like our shadows.
[1/2]
Human mind is unsteady and wanders faster than wind. It falls prey to evil elements faster as they provide quick benefits. It becomes necessary to control the mind fully so that it does not sway here and there. Once the mind is tamed it will work as per our will:
Mind is fickle, shaky and unsteady,
To wander aimlessly, it’s always ready.
If one can justly practice forbearance,
One receives joy and delight in abundance.
[3/35]
Lord Buddha exhorts people to follow an example of scented flower which spreads its fragrance all around. Likewise, a wise person spreads his wisdom in all directions irrespective of the direction of the wind:
Be it sandalwood or flower of any kind,
Its fragrance never flows against the wind.
But wisdom of wise disperses all over,
Pierces through wind, every place it covers.
[4/54]
Lord Buddha further advises that we should always remain vigilant and agile. We should never allow lethargy and laziness to take over our lives or while away our useful time in sleep and indolence. Fools and ignorant carve their own path towards ruination because of ill-deeds and sinful actions. But wise are free of desires and are indifferent to heat and cold, and pain and pleasure. They are thus respected everywhere:
Wise never allow negligence to breed,
Nor do they permit any sensual greed.
They always remain immersed in meditation,
And are recipient of abundant delectation.
[2/27]
Lord Buddha also touches upon the evil part of man, the old age which leads to suffering and punishment to ignorant and violent people. Evil must be eradicated from the roots or else it comes back with vengeance and overpowers the mind:
Behold this beautiful diseased body of man,
Which is a mass of sores of creative brain.
Body joined by limbs, of many pattern,
And is neither permanent nor certain.
[11/147]
Lord Buddha tells us to get out of ignorance and illumine the world like the moon which comes out of clouds and brightens the world. Thus one can get enormous happiness and rapture. To achieve the Eternal Bliss, one needs to become Buddha and attain enlightenment:
When an evil man leaves bad conduct,
Starts pursuing and doing good act.
Like moon he becomes a man good and proud,
That lightens the world, coming out of cloud.
[13/173]
Attachment to family and things is the main cause of desire and greed. One who is detached to these elements, is free from fear and close to happiness:
Grief arises from pleasure,
And from pleasure comes fear.
One who is free from pleasure,
Is free from grief and fear.
[16/212]
Lord Buddha also states the eightfold path which leads to nirvana and how one can get rid of impurities. Eightfold path has already been discussed in earlier pages. Lord Buddha advises people to do noble deeds during this birth as the journey of a man from birth till death is very painful and full of troubles. We all are the victims of our bad deeds in the earlier birth and have to undergo the journey again and again. This journey is not very comfortable and one remains tangled in this cycle of rebirth and suffering.

Hence it is advisable to follow virtuous path and not to cling to the attachments and desires so that one can attain nirvana, deliverance from the cycle of rebirth:
Of paths, best is the eightfold,
Best of truths is the fourfold.
Virtuous is, who is detached and free,
He is best of the men who has eyes to see.
[20/273]
Finally there is a mention of monks, the holy men, who are called Brahmins. They have to possess certain characteristics to qualify as holy men. Saffron clothes or matted long hair do not make a man Monk or Brahmin, unless he possesses certain virtues explained in the last chapters. If they do not follow the required tenets, they are destined to dwell in hell in their next birth:
Many persons who wear yellow dress,
Purity of mind they do not possess.
Such wrong-doers end up in hell,
In the next birth, in hell they dwell.
[22/307]
Thus the gist of the preachings is to indulge in good deeds to wash off the sins of earlier birth and shed off attachments and desires to attain nirvana, the deliverance from the cycle of rebirth.
Dhammapada does touch upon all the Fourfold Truths and the Eightfold Path which are full of immense spiritual knowledge on dharma which we should devoutly follow.