In short: Chapter 9 of the Dhammapada, Wickedness (Pāpavagga), verses 116 to 128. Hurry to do good; small good deeds and small bad deeds both add up, drop by drop.
Rush to do good, shield your mind from evil; for when you’re slow to do good, your thoughts delight in wickedness.
Dhammapada 116, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 116 | Abhittharetha kalyāṇe, | Rush to do good, |
| pāpā cittaṁ nivāraye; | shield your mind from evil; | |
| Dandhañhi karoto puññaṁ, | for when you’re slow to do good, | |
| pāpasmiṁ ramatī mano. | your thoughts delight in wickedness. | |
| 117 | Pāpañce puriso kayirā, | If you do something bad, |
| Na naṁ kayirā punappunaṁ; | don’t do it again and again, | |
| Na tamhi chandaṁ kayirātha, | don’t set your heart on it, | |
| Dukkho pāpassa uccayo. | for piling up evil is suffering. | |
| 118 | Puññañce puriso kayirā, | If you do something good, |
| kayirā naṁ punappunaṁ; | do it again and again, | |
| Tamhi chandaṁ kayirātha, | set your heart on it, | |
| sukho puññassa uccayo. | for piling up goodness is joyful. | |
| 119 | Pāpopi passati bhadraṁ, | Even the wicked see good things, |
| Yāva pāpaṁ na paccati; | so long as their wickedness has not ripened. | |
| Yadā ca paccati pāpaṁ, | But as soon as that wickedness ripens, | |
| Atha pāpo pāpāni passati. | then the wicked see wicked things. | |
| 120 | Bhadropi passati pāpaṁ, | Even the good see wicked things, |
| Yāva bhadraṁ na paccati; | so long as their goodness has not ripened. | |
| Yadā ca paccati bhadraṁ, | But as soon as that goodness ripens, | |
| Atha bhadro bhadrāni passati. | then the good see good things. | |
| 121 | Māvamaññetha pāpassa, | Think not lightly of evil, |
| na mantaṁ āgamissati; | that it won’t come back to you. | |
| Udabindunipātena, | The pot is filled with water | |
| udakumbhopi pūrati; | falling drop by drop; | |
| Bālo pūrati pāpassa, | the fool is filled with wickedness | |
| thokaṁ thokampi ācinaṁ. | piled up bit by bit. | |
| 122 | Māvamaññetha puññassa, | Think not lightly of goodness, |
| na mandaṁ āgamissati; | that it won’t come back to you. | |
| Udabindunipātena, | The pot is filled with water | |
| udakumbhopi pūrati; | falling drop by drop; | |
| Dhīro pūrati puññassa, | the attentive one is filled with goodness | |
| thokaṁ thokampi ācinaṁ. | piled up bit by bit. | |
| 123 | Vāṇijova bhayaṁ maggaṁ, | Avoid wickedness, |
| appasattho mahaddhano; | as a merchant with rich cargo and small escort | |
| Visaṁ jīvitukāmova, | would avoid a dangerous road, | |
| pāpāni parivajjaye. | or one who loves life would avoid drinking poison. | |
| 124 | Pāṇimhi ce vaṇo nāssa, | You can carry poison in your hand |
| hareyya pāṇinā visaṁ; | if it has no wound, | |
| Nābbaṇaṁ visamanveti, | for poison does not infect without a wound; | |
| natthi pāpaṁ akubbato. | nothing bad happens unless you do bad. | |
| 125 | Yo appaduṭṭhassa narassa dussati, | Whoever wrongs a man who has done no wrong, |
| Suddhassa posassa anaṅgaṇassa; | a pure man who has not a blemish, | |
| Tameva bālaṁ pacceti pāpaṁ, | the evil backfires on the fool, | |
| Sukhumo rajo paṭivātaṁva khitto. | like fine dust thrown upwind. | |
| 126 | Gabbhameke uppajjanti, | Some are born in a womb; |
| nirayaṁ pāpakammino; | evildoers go to hell; | |
| Saggaṁ sugatino yanti, | the virtuous go to heaven; | |
| parinibbanti anāsavā. | the undefiled are fully extinguished. | |
| 127 | Na antalikkhe na samuddamajjhe, | Not in midair, nor mid-ocean, |
| Na pabbatānaṁ vivaraṁ pavissa; | nor hiding in a mountain cleft; | |
| Na vijjatī so jagatippadeso, | you’ll find no place on the planet | |
| Yatthaṭṭhito mucceyya pāpakammā. | to escape your wicked deeds. | |
| 128 | Na antalikkhe na samuddamajjhe, | Not in midair, nor mid-ocean, |
| Na pabbatānaṁ vivaraṁ pavissa; | nor hiding in a mountain cleft; | |
| Na vijjatī so jagatippadeso, | you’ll find no place on the planet | |
| Yatthaṭṭhitaṁ nappasaheyya maccu. | where you won’t be vanquished by death. |
← Chapter 8: The Thousands · Chapter 10: The Rod →
Try it
Choose one verse from this chapter and carry it through today, or make your own teaching card with a verse for how you feel. Or read 10 real Buddha quotes, verified.
Questions people ask
What is chapter 9 of the Dhammapada about?
Hurry to do good; small good deeds and small bad deeds both add up, drop by drop.
Which verses are in Dhammapada chapter 9?
Chapter 9, Wickedness (Pāpavagga), contains verses 116 to 128.