Dhammapada verse 242
Chapter 18, Stains (Malavagga) · verses 235–255
“Misconduct is a woman’s stain. A giver’s stain is stinginess. Bad qualities are a stain in this world and the next.”
Malitthiyā duccaritaṁ, maccheraṁ dadato malaṁ; Malā ve pāpakā dhammā, asmiṁ loke paramhi ca.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 242 mean?
Verse 242 belongs to chapter 18, Stains (Malavagga), which gathers verses 235–255 on stains and their removal. It is filed under purity & stains, giving & merit. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 241 and verse 243 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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