Dhammapada verse 314
Chapter 22, Hell (Nirayavagga) · verses 306–319
“A bad deed is better left undone, for it will plague you later on. A good deed is better done, one that does not plague you.”
Akataṁ dukkaṭaṁ seyyo, pacchā tappati dukkaṭaṁ; Katañca sukataṁ seyyo, yaṁ katvā nānutappati.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 314 mean?
Verse 314 belongs to chapter 22, Hell (Nirayavagga), which gathers verses 306–319 on the destination of the guilty. It is filed under good & evil. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 313 and verse 315 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.
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