Dhammapada verse 238
Chapter 18, Stains (Malavagga) · verses 235–255
“Make an island of yourself! Swiftly strive, learn to be wise! Purged of stains, flawless, you’ll not come again to rebirth and old age.”
So karohi dīpamattano, Khippaṁ vāyama paṇḍito bhava; Niddhantamalo anaṅgaṇo, Na punaṁ jātijaraṁ upehisi.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 238 mean?
Verse 238 belongs to chapter 18, Stains (Malavagga), which gathers verses 235–255 on stains and their removal. It is filed under wisdom & folly, impermanence & death, self-discipline, purity & stains. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 237 and verse 239 are part of the same passage.
Twenty-one verses on stains — the defilements as dirt on a surface that can be cleaned. The chapter lists the specific stains it means, including hardness, carelessness, deceit and jealousy, and it treats purity not as innocence but as the result of scrubbing.
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