Patna Dhamma Verses
Patna Dhammapadaṁ

Malavarggaḥ
10: The Chapter about Stains

157. Asajjhāyamalā Vedā,
anuṭṭhāṇamalā gharā,
malo vaṇṇassa kosajjaṁ,
pramādo rakkhatāṁ malo.

157. Lack of repetition is the ruin of the Vedā,
a lack of maintenance is the ruin of homes,
indolence is the ruin of one’s appearance,
heedlessness is the ruin of those on guard.

158. Malo istiye duccaritaṁ,
maccheraṁ dadatāṁ malo,
malo pāpāni kammāṇi
assiṁ loke paramhi ca.

158. Bad conduct is a woman’s stain,
stinginess is a giver’s stain,
wicked deeds are a stain
both in this world and in the next.

159. Tato malataraṁ brūmi,
avijjā maraṇaṁ malaṁ,
ete male prahattāna,
nimmalā caratha, bhikkhavo!

159. I say there is a stain worse than that,
ignorance is a deadly stain,
after abandoning those stains,
live without stains, monastics!

160. Ayasā tu malo samuṭṭhito,
tato uṭṭhāya, tam eva khādati,
em eva vidhūnacāriyaṁ –
sakāni kammāṇi nayanti doggatiṁ.

160. As a rust stain arises from iron,
and arisen from that, it eats it away,
so with one who is overindulgent –
his deeds lead him to a bad destiny.

161. Pāṇḍupalāśo ca dāni ’si,
Yamapuruṣā pi ca te upaṭṭhitā,
uyyogamukhe ca tiṣṭhasi,
pātheyaṁ pi ca te na vijjati.

161. You are now a withered leaf,
Yama’s men Yama’s men means those who greet the dead when they pass on to the next world. stand waiting for you,
you stand at decay’s door,
with no provisions for the journey found.

162. Uyyamassa ghaṭassa āttanā,
kammāro rajataṁ va niddhame,
niddhāntamalo, anaṅgano,
bitiyaṁ ariyabhūmim esi.

162. You should strive and endeavour by yourself,
like a smith, you should remove the stain,
removing the stain, blemishless,
you seek the second noble realm.

163. Anupūrvveṇa medhāvī,
thokathokaṁ khaṇe khaṇe,
kammāro rajatasseva,
niddhame malam āttano.

163. The sage gradually,
little by little, moment by moment,
should remove the stain from himself,
like a smith removes the stain from silver.

164. Sujīvaṁ ahirīkena,
saṅkiliṣṭan tu jīvati,
prakkhaṇḍinā pragabbheṇa,
kākaśūreṇa dhansinā.

164. Life is light for one without shame,
he lives a life with defilements,
backbiting and recklessness,
with the bold courage of a crow.

165. Hirīmatā tu dujjīvaṁ,
niccaṁ śucigaveṣiṇā,
alīnenāpragabbheṇa,
śuddhājīvena paśśatā.

165. Life is hard when endowed with shame,
for the one constantly seeking purity,
for one sincere, and not reckless,
looking for purity of life.

166. Supaśśaṁ vajjaṁ aññesaṁ,
āttano puna duddaśaṁ,
paresām iha vajjāni
uppunāti yathā busaṁ,
āttano puna chādeti,
kalim va ktavāṁ śaṭho.

166. Easy to see are others’ fault,
but one’s own is hard to see,
for one sifts other people’s faults like they were chaff,
but conceals one’s own faults,
like a crafty player conceals his defeat.

167. Sukarāṇi asādhūni,
āttano ahitāni ca,
yaṁ ve hitaṁ ca sādhuñ-ca
taṁ ve paramadukkaraṁ.

167. Easily done are things not good,
and unbeneficial for oneself,
but that which is beneficial and good
is supremely hard to do.

168. Sukarāṇi asādhūni,
āttano ahitāni ca,
yāni hitāni sādhūni
tāni kurvvanti paṇḍitā.

168. Easily done are things not good,
and unbeneficial for oneself,
but only those beneficial and good
are done by the wise.

169. Alajjitavve lajjanti,
lajjitavve na lajjatha, Lajjatha looks like a 2nd person plural here, but that hardly makes sense in context.
abhaye bhayadaṁśāvī,
bhaye cābhayadaṁśino,
micchadṣṭisamādānā,
sattā gacchanti doggatiṁ.

169. They are ashamed of what is not shameful,
not ashamed of what is shameful,
seeing fear in what is not fearful,
not seeing fear in what is fearful,
undertaking wrong views,
beings go to a bad destiny.

170. Avajje vajjamatino,
vajje cāvajjasaññino,
micchadṣṭisamādānā,
sattā gacchanti doggatiṁ.

170. Finding blame in what is blameless,
not perceiving blame in what is blameable,
undertaking wrong views,
beings go to a bad destiny.

171. Asāre sāramatino,
sāre cāsārasaññino,
te sāran nādhigacchanti,
micchasaṅkappagocarā.

171. Finding the essential in the unessential,
and perceiving the unessential in the essential,
they do not understand what is the essential,
and resort to wrong intention.

172. Sārañ-ca sārato ññāttā,
asārañ-ca asārato,
te sāram adhigacchanti,
sammasaṅkappagocarā.

172. Knowing the essential in what is essential,
and the unessential in what is unessential,
they understand what is essential,
and resort to right intention.

173. Ayoge yuñjiyāttānaṁ,
yogamhi ca ayuñjiya,
atthaṁ hettā priyaggrāhī,
phayantatthānuyogināṁ.

173. Engaging oneself in what is not suitable,
not engaging in what is suitable,
abandoning the good, grasping the loved,
they envy those who endeavour for good.

Malavarggaḥ
The Chapter about Stains

last updated: November 2017