Dhammapada verse 248
Chapter 18, Stains (Malavagga) · verses 235–255
“Know this, my man: they are unrestrained and wicked. Don’t let that greed and unrighteousness inflict pain on you for long.”
Evaṁ bho purisa jānāhi, pāpadhammā asaññatā; Mā taṁ lobho adhammo ca, ciraṁ dukkhāya randhayuṁ.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 248 mean?
Verse 248 belongs to chapter 18, Stains (Malavagga), which gathers verses 235–255 on stains and their removal. It is filed under craving & attachment, good & evil, suffering & grief, self-discipline. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 247 and verse 249 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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