Dhammapada verse 312
Chapter 22, Hell (Nirayavagga) · verses 306–319
“Any lax act, any corrupt observance, or suspicious spiritual life, is not very fruitful.”
Yaṁ kiñci sithilaṁ kammaṁ, saṅkiliṭṭhañca yaṁ vataṁ; Saṅkassaraṁ brahmacariyaṁ, na taṁ hoti mahapphalaṁ.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 312 mean?
Verse 312 belongs to chapter 22, Hell (Nirayavagga), which gathers verses 306–319 on the destination of the guilty. 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 311 and verse 313 are part of the same passage.
Fourteen verses on the destination of the person who denies what they have done. The chapter is heavy and deliberately so: it describes the judgement that follows the person who wronged someone without cause, and it is one of the places where the Dhammapada is least interested in consolation.