Dhammapada verse 244
Chapter 18, Stains (Malavagga) · verses 235–255
“Life is easy for the shameless. With all the rude courage of a crow, they live pushy, rude, and corrupt.”
Sujīvaṁ ahirikena, kākasūrena dhaṁsinā; Pakkhandinā pagabbhena, saṅkiliṭṭhena jīvitaṁ.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 244 mean?
Verse 244 belongs to chapter 18, Stains (Malavagga), which gathers verses 235–255 on stains and their removal. It is filed under no theme. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 243 and verse 245 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.