Dhammapada verse 245
Chapter 18, Stains (Malavagga) · verses 235–255
“Life is hard for the conscientious, always seeking purity, neither clinging nor rude, pure of livelihood and discerning.”
Hirīmatā ca dujjīvaṁ, niccaṁ sucigavesinā; Alīnenāppagabbhena, suddhājīvena passatā.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 245 mean?
Verse 245 belongs to chapter 18, Stains (Malavagga), which gathers verses 235–255 on stains and their removal. It is filed under purity & stains. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 244 and verse 246 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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