Dhammapada verse 249
Chapter 18, Stains (Malavagga) · verses 235–255
“The people give according to their faith, according to their confidence. If you get upset over that, over others’ food and drink, you’ll not, by day or by night, become immersed in samādhi.”
Dadāti ve yathāsaddhaṁ, yathāpasādanaṁ jano; Tattha yo ca maṅku bhavati, paresaṁ pānabhojane; Na so divā vā rattiṁ vā, samādhimadhigacchati.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 249 mean?
Verse 249 belongs to chapter 18, Stains (Malavagga), which gathers verses 235–255 on stains and their removal. It is filed under giving & merit. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 248 and verse 250 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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