| Verse86. Those Who Follow The Dhamma Are Liberated
 But they who practise Dhammaaccording to Dhamma well-told,
 from Deathβs Domain hard to leave
 theyβll cross to the Further Shore.
 Explanation: The realms over which Mara has sway, aredifficult to be crossed. Only those who quite righteously follow the way
 indicated in the well-articulated Teachings of the Buddha, will be able to
 cross these realms that are so difficult to cross.
 
 
	 DhammapadaVerses 85 and 86
 Dhammassavana Vatthu
 Appaka te manussesuye jana paragamino
 athayam itara paja
 tiramevanudhavati1
 Ye ca kho sammadakkhatedhamme dhammanuvattino
 te jana paramessanti2
 maccudheyyam3 suduttaram.
 Verse 85: Few among men reach the other shore (Nibbana); all theothers only run up and down on this shore.
 Verse 86: But those who practise according to the well-expoundedDhamma will reach the other shore (Nibbana), having passed the realm of Death
 (i.e., samsara), very difficult as it is to cross.
 1. tiramevanudhavati: tiram + eva + anudhavati: shore +only this + run up and down: according to the Commentary ‘only this shore’ in
 this context means sakkayaditthi (ego belief).
 2. paramessanti: param + essanti: the other shore + willreach. The other or opposite shore is metaphorically used for Nibbana.
 3. maccudheyyam: the realm of Death (or samsara,round of rebirths).
 The Story of Dhamma Listeners While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha utteredVerses (85) and (86) of this book, with reference to a congregation of people
 who had come to listen to a religious discourse in Savatthi.
 On one occasion, a group of people from Savatthi made specialofferings to the bhikkhus collectively and they arranged for some bhikkhus to
 deliver discourses throughout the night, in their locality. Many in the audience
 could not sit up the whole night and they returned to their homes early; some
 sat through the night, but most of the time they were drowsy and half-asleep.
 There were only a few who listened attentively to the discourses.
 At dawn, when the bhikkhus told the Buddha about what happenedthe previous night, he replied, “Most people are attached to this
 world; only a very few reach the other shore (Nibbana).”
 Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows: 
	
	
	| Verse 85: Few among men reach the other shore (Nibbana); allthe others only run up and down on this shore.
 |  
	|   |  
	| Verse 86: But those who practise according to thewell-expounded Dhamma will reach the other shore (Nibbana), having passed the
 realm of Death (i.e., samsara), very difficult as it is to cross.
 |  |