In short: Chapter 18 of the Dhammapada, Stains (Malavagga), verses 235 to 255. The stains of the mind, ignorance the worst of all, and making an island for yourself.
Today you’re like a withered leaf, Yama’s men await you. You stand at the departure gates, yet you have no supplies for the road.
Dhammapada 235, the chapter's first verse.
Pāli and English translation by Bhikkhu Sujato, from SuttaCentral. The introduction is ANEW's.
The verses in Pāli and English
| Verse | Pāli | English |
|---|---|---|
| 235 | Paṇḍupalāsova dānisi, | Today you’re like a withered leaf, |
| Yamapurisāpi ca te upaṭṭhitā; | Yama’s men await you. | |
| Uyyogamukhe ca tiṭṭhasi, | You stand at the departure gates, | |
| Pātheyyampi ca te na vijjati. | yet you have no supplies for the road. | |
| 236 | So karohi dīpamattano, | Make an island of yourself! |
| Khippaṁ vāyama paṇḍito bhava; | Swiftly strive, learn to be wise! | |
| Niddhantamalo anaṅgaṇo, | Purged of stains, flawless, | |
| Dibbaṁ ariyabhūmiṁ upehisi. | you’ll go to the heavenly realm of the noble ones. | |
| 237 | Upanītavayo ca dānisi, | You’ve journeyed the stages of life, |
| Sampayātosi yamassa santikaṁ; | and now you set out to meet Yama. | |
| Vāso te natthi antarā, | Along the way there’s nowhere to stay, | |
| Pātheyyampi ca te na vijjati. | yet you have no supplies for the road. | |
| 238 | So karohi dīpamattano, | Make an island of yourself! |
| Khippaṁ vāyama paṇḍito bhava; | Swiftly strive, learn to be wise! | |
| Niddhantamalo anaṅgaṇo, | Purged of stains, flawless, | |
| Na punaṁ jātijaraṁ upehisi. | you’ll not come again to rebirth and old age. | |
| 239 | Anupubbena medhāvī, | A smart person would purge |
| thokaṁ thokaṁ khaṇe khaṇe; | their own stains gradually, | |
| Kammāro rajatasseva, | bit by bit, moment by moment, | |
| niddhame malamattano. | like a smith smelting silver. | |
| 240 | Ayasāva malaṁ samuṭṭhitaṁ, | It is the rust born on the iron |
| Tatuṭṭhāya tameva khādati; | that eats away the place it arose. | |
| Evaṁ atidhonacārinaṁ, | And so it is their own deeds | |
| Sāni kammāni nayanti duggatiṁ. | that lead the overly-ascetic to a bad place. | |
| 241 | Asajjhāyamalā mantā, | Not rehearsing is the stain of hymns. |
| anuṭṭhānamalā gharā; | The stain of houses is neglect. | |
| Malaṁ vaṇṇassa kosajjaṁ, | Laziness is the stain of beauty. | |
| pamādo rakkhato malaṁ. | A guard’s stain is negligence. | |
| 242 | Malitthiyā duccaritaṁ, | Misconduct is a woman’s stain. |
| maccheraṁ dadato malaṁ; | A giver’s stain is stinginess. | |
| Malā ve pāpakā dhammā, | Bad qualities are a stain | |
| asmiṁ loke paramhi ca. | in this world and the next. | |
| 243 | Tato malā malataraṁ, | But a worse stain than these |
| avijjā paramaṁ malaṁ; | is ignorance, the worst stain of all. | |
| Etaṁ malaṁ pahantvāna, | Having given up that stain, | |
| nimmalā hotha bhikkhavo. | be without stains, mendicants! | |
| 244 | Sujīvaṁ ahirikena, | Life is easy for the shameless. |
| kākasūrena dhaṁsinā; | With all the rude courage of a crow, | |
| Pakkhandinā pagabbhena, | they live pushy, | |
| saṅkiliṭṭhena jīvitaṁ. | rude, and corrupt. | |
| 245 | Hirīmatā ca dujjīvaṁ, | Life is hard for the conscientious, |
| niccaṁ sucigavesinā; | always seeking purity, | |
| Alīnenāppagabbhena, | neither clinging nor rude, | |
| suddhājīvena passatā. | pure of livelihood and discerning. | |
| 246 | Yo pāṇamatipāteti, | Take anyone in this world |
| musāvādañca bhāsati; | who kills living creatures, | |
| Loke adinnamādiyati, | speaks falsely, steals, | |
| paradārañca gacchati. | commits adultery, | |
| 247 | Surāmerayapānañca, | and indulges in drinking |
| yo naro anuyuñjati; | beer and wine. | |
| Idheva meso lokasmiṁ, | Right here they dig up | |
| mūlaṁ khaṇati attano. | the root of their own self. | |
| 248 | Evaṁ bho purisa jānāhi, | Know this, my man: |
| pāpadhammā asaññatā; | they are unrestrained and wicked. | |
| Mā taṁ lobho adhammo ca, | Don’t let that greed and unrighteousness | |
| ciraṁ dukkhāya randhayuṁ. | inflict pain on you for long. | |
| 249 | Dadāti ve yathāsaddhaṁ, | The people give according to their faith, |
| yathāpasādanaṁ jano; | according to their confidence. | |
| Tattha yo ca maṅku bhavati, | If you get upset over that, | |
| paresaṁ pānabhojane; | over others’ food and drink, | |
| Na so divā vā rattiṁ vā, | you’ll not, by day or by night, | |
| samādhimadhigacchati. | become immersed in samādhi. | |
| 250 | Yassa cetaṁ samucchinnaṁ, | Those who have cut that out, |
| mūlaghaccaṁ samūhataṁ; | dug it up at the root, eradicated it, | |
| Sa ve divā vā rattiṁ vā, | they will, by day or by night, | |
| samādhimadhigacchati. | become immersed in samādhi. | |
| 251 | Natthi rāgasamo aggi, | There is no fire like greed, |
| natthi dosasamo gaho; | no crime like hate, | |
| Natthi mohasamaṁ jālaṁ, | no net like delusion, | |
| natthi taṇhāsamā nadī. | no river like craving. | |
| 252 | Sudassaṁ vajjamaññesaṁ, | It’s easy to see the faults of others, |
| attano pana duddasaṁ; | hard to see one’s own. | |
| Paresaṁ hi so vajjāni, | For the faults of others | |
| opunāti yathā bhusaṁ; | are tossed high like hay, | |
| Attano pana chādeti, | while one’s own are hidden, | |
| kaliṁva kitavā saṭho. | as a cheat hides a bad hand. | |
| 253 | Paravajjānupassissa, | When you look for the flaws of others, |
| niccaṁ ujjhānasaññino; | always finding fault, | |
| Āsavā tassa vaḍḍhanti, | your defilements only grow, | |
| ārā so āsavakkhayā. | you’re far from ending defilements. | |
| 254 | Ākāseva padaṁ natthi, | In the atmosphere there is no track, |
| samaṇo natthi bāhire; | there’s no true ascetic outside here. | |
| Papañcābhiratā pajā, | People enjoy proliferation, | |
| nippapañcā tathāgatā. | the Realized Ones are free of proliferation. | |
| 255 | Ākāseva padaṁ natthi, | In the atmosphere there is no track, |
| samaṇo natthi bāhire; | there’s no true ascetic outside here. | |
| Saṅkhārā sassatā natthi, | No conditions last forever, | |
| natthi buddhānamiñjitaṁ. | the Awakened Ones are not shaken. |
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Questions people ask
What is chapter 18 of the Dhammapada about?
The stains of the mind, ignorance the worst of all, and making an island for yourself.
Which verses are in Dhammapada chapter 18?
Chapter 18, Stains (Malavagga), contains verses 235 to 255.