Dhammapada verse 246
Chapter 18, Stains (Malavagga) · verses 235–255
“Take anyone in this world who kills living creatures, speaks falsely, steals, commits adultery,”
Yo pāṇamatipāteti, musāvādañca bhāsati; Loke adinnamādiyati, paradārañca gacchati.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 246 mean?
Verse 246 belongs to chapter 18, Stains (Malavagga), which gathers verses 235–255 on stains and their removal. It is filed under speech. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 245 and verse 247 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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