Dhammapada verse 317
Chapter 22, Hell (Nirayavagga) · verses 306–319
“Seeing danger where there is none, and blind to the actual danger, beings who uphold wrong view go to a bad place.”
Abhaye bhayadassino, bhaye cābhayadassino; Micchādiṭṭhisamādānā, sattā gacchanti duggatiṁ.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 317 mean?
Verse 317 belongs to chapter 22, Hell (Nirayavagga), which gathers verses 306–319 on the destination of the guilty. It is filed under anger & peace. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 316 and verse 318 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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