Dhammapada verse 239
Chapter 18, Stains (Malavagga) · verses 235–255
“A smart person would purge their own stains gradually, bit by bit, moment by moment, like a smith smelting silver.”
Anupubbena medhāvī, thokaṁ thokaṁ khaṇe khaṇe; Kammāro rajatasseva, niddhame malamattano.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 239 mean?
Verse 239 belongs to chapter 18, Stains (Malavagga), which gathers verses 235–255 on stains and their removal. It is filed under purity & stains. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 238 and verse 240 are part of the same passage.
Twenty-one verses on stains — the defilements as dirt on a surface that can be cleaned. The chapter lists the specific stains it means, including hardness, carelessness, deceit and jealousy, and it treats purity not as innocence but as the result of scrubbing.
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