Dhammapada verse 313
Chapter 22, Hell (Nirayavagga) · verses 306–319
“If one is to do what should be done, one should staunchly strive. For the life gone forth when laxly led just stirs up dust all the more.”
Kayirā ce kayirāthenaṁ, daḷhamenaṁ parakkame; Sithilo hi paribbājo, bhiyyo ākirate rajaṁ.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 313 mean?
Verse 313 belongs to chapter 22, Hell (Nirayavagga), which gathers verses 306–319 on the destination of the guilty. 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 312 and verse 314 are part of the same passage.
Fourteen verses on the destination of the person who denies what they have done. The chapter is heavy and deliberately so: it describes the judgement that follows the person who wronged someone without cause, and it is one of the places where the Dhammapada is least interested in consolation.
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