Dhammapada verse 319
Chapter 22, Hell (Nirayavagga) · verses 306–319
“Knowing a fault as a fault and the faultless as faultless, beings who uphold right view go to a good place.”
Vajjañca vajjato ñatvā, avajjañca avajjato; Sammādiṭṭhisamādānā, sattā gacchanti suggatiṁ. Nirayavaggo dvāvīsatimo.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 319 mean?
Verse 319 belongs to chapter 22, Hell (Nirayavagga), which gathers verses 306–319 on the destination of the guilty. It is filed under no theme. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 318 and verse 320 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.