From craving is born grief, from craving is born fear. For one freed from craving, there is no grief; whence fear?

Taṇhāya — from craving: taṇhā is thirst, the fundamental craving that the Second Noble Truth identifies as the cause of suffering. It is the deepest and most technical term in the entire sequence 212-216.

Taṇhā is the root of all previous terms: what is dear (piya), affection (pema), pleasure (rati), sensual desire (kāma) — all are manifestations of taṇhā. This verse reaches the very root of the problem.

Taṇhāya vippamuttassa — for one freed from craving: liberation from taṇhā is nibbana itself. While previous verses spoke of liberation from specific forms of attachment, this one speaks of liberation from the universal root of attachment.

The closing of the sequence with taṇhā is pedagogically perfect: after examining the branches (piya, pema, rati, kāma), one arrives at the trunk. Grief and fear are born from the root of compulsive craving; cut the root, and all branches fall.