Dhammapada verse 316
Chapter 22, Hell (Nirayavagga) · verses 306–319
“Unashamed of what is shameful, ashamed of what is not shameful; beings who uphold wrong view go to a bad place.”
Alajjitāye lajjanti, lajjitāye na lajjare; Micchādiṭṭhisamādānā, sattā gacchanti duggatiṁ.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 316 mean?
Verse 316 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 315 and verse 317 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.