Dhammapada verse 253
Chapter 18, Stains (Malavagga) · verses 235–255
“When you look for the flaws of others, always finding fault, your defilements only grow, you’re far from ending defilements.”
Paravajjānupassissa, niccaṁ ujjhānasaññino; Āsavā tassa vaḍḍhanti, ārā so āsavakkhayā.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 253 mean?
Verse 253 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 252 and verse 254 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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