Dhammapada verse 116
Chapter 9, Wickedness (Pāpavagga) · verses 116–128
“Rush to do good, shield your mind from evil; for when you’re slow to do good, your thoughts delight in wickedness.”
Abhittharetha kalyāṇe, pāpā cittaṁ nivāraye; Dandhañhi karoto puññaṁ, pāpasmiṁ ramatī mano.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 116 mean?
Verse 116 belongs to chapter 9, Wickedness (Pāpavagga), which gathers verses 116–128 on wickedness and its ripening. It is filed under mind & intention, good & evil. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 115 and verse 117 are part of the same passage.
Thirteen verses on wickedness and its ripening. The chapter’s repeated claim is that an evil deed is not done in one motion — it is done, then repeated, then made a habit — and that the person who does it grieves in both places, here and after. It is one of the chapters most explicitly concerned with consequence rather than intention.
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