As a beautiful boat secured with old ropes, having crossed to the farther shore, they too cross over.

Yathā rucirā nāvā — as a beautiful boat (rucira), valuable. The image of a precious boat bound with worn ropes.

Suttena baddhā — bound with rope (sutta), literally “thread” or “suture”. The rope represents old conditioning, the patterns that have held the vessel — yet the vessel crosses despite them.

The Dhammapada closes the Maggavagga with this image of crossing. The path (magga) is not the destination — it is the boat. Once the other shore is reached, the boat is no longer needed. Those who have crossed do not carry the boat as a burden — they leave it behind.

This teaching resonates with upāya in Mahayana and the Buddha’s insistence that Dhamma is a raft (kullā), a means, not an end. The practice that liberated must eventually be abandoned — not carried as load once the destination is reached.