Dhammapada Commentary - Mala Vagga

Dhammapada Commentary ( Dhammapada Atthakatha )

Edited by
Bhikkhu Pesala


18 — Mala Vagga
Stains
Death is Near to You
1. Paṇḍupalāso ’va ’dāni ’si,
yamapurisā’pi ca te1 upaṭṭhitā
Uyyogamukhe ca tiṭṭhasi,
pātheyyam pi ca te na vijjati.235
2. So karohi dīpam attano,
khippaṃ vāyama paṇḍito bhava
Niddhantamalo anaṅgaṇo,
dibbaṃ ariyabhūmim upehisi
2.236
1. Like a withered leaf are you now.
The messengers of death wait on you.
On the threshold of decay you stand.
Provision too there is none for you.
2. Make an island unto yourself.
Strive quickly; become wise.
Purged of stain and passionless,
you shall enter the heavenly stage of the Ariyas.
The Son of a Cow Butcher
A cow butcher who lived at Sāvatthī made his living by selling beef, and also
ate beef every day. He would not take a meal without it. One day, while he had
gone to bathe, a friend arrived at his house wishing to buy some meat. His wife
told the visitor that there was no meat in the house except that for her husband’s
meal. The visitor took the meat anyway, so when the cow butcher returned his
wife served only rice, which he wouldn’t eat. Angered, he took a knife and went
out to where an ox was tethered, put his hand in its mouth, and cut out its

1
taṃ
2
ehisi


tongue. He gave this to his wife to cook for his meal. As soon as he started to eat
the meat, he bit off his own tongue and it fell onto the plate of rice. He ran out of
the house with blood flowing from his mouth, and after crawling on the ground
for some time, bellowing like an ox, he died and was reborn in Avīci hell.
His wife admonished her son who watched this happen, and told him to flee
from the house at once before the same fate could befall him. The son fled to
Takkasila, and became an apprentice to a goldsmith. Pleased with the quality of
his work, the goldsmith arranged his marriage with his own daughter, and when
their children came of age they returned to Sāvatthī to establish households of
their own. The cow-butcher’s grand-children became faithful disciples of the
Buddha, but their father remained in Takkasila. As their father was getting old,
the children invited him to come to Sāvatthī and offered alms to make merit on
his behalf. After the meal, they asked the Buddha to give thanks for their father,
and the Buddha admonished him with the above two verses. He gained Stream-
winning, and the family invited the Buddha for the following day’s meal. The
next day, the Buddha gave thanks with the following two verses:
3. Upanītavayo va’dāni’si,
sampayāto’si yamassa santike
Vāso1 te natthi antarā,
pātheyyam pi ca te na vijjati.237
4. So karohi dīpam attano, khippaṃ vāyama paṇḍito bhava
Niddhantamalo anaṅgaṇo, na puna jātijaraṃ upehisi.238
3. Your life has come to an end now.
To the presence of death you are setting out.
No resting place is there for you by the way.
Provision too there is none for you.
4. Make a refuge for yourself.
Strive without delay; become wise.
Purged of stain and passionless,
you will not come again to birth and old age.

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Vāso’pi ca


Purify Yourself Gradually
5. Anupubbena medhāvī, thokathokaṃ khaṇe khaṇe
Kammāro rajatass’eva, niddhame malam attano.239
5. By degrees, little by little, from time to time, a wise person should
remove his own impurities, as a smith removes (the dross) of silver.
A Certain Brahmin’s Story
A devout Brahmin, going out of the town in the morning, saw the monks
putting on their robes in a place with long grass. He noticed that the hem of a
monk’s robe became wet with dew. The next day he took a scythe and trimmed
the grass. Then he saw that their robes became muddy, so the next day he spread
sand. Another day it was very hot, and the monks were sweating, so he erected a
pavillion. On another day it was raining, so he erected a hall where the monks
could shelter. Having completed the hall, he invited the Buddha and the Sangha
for alms and told the Buddha how he came to build the hall in stages. The Buddha
praised his good deeds and recited the above verse on the gradual removal of
one’s impurities.
Evil Ruins Oneself
6. Ayasā’va malaṃ samuṭṭhitaṃ,
tatuṭṭhāya1 tam’eva khādati
Evaṃ atidhonacārinaṃ,
sāni
2 kammāni nayanti duggatiṃ.240
6. As rust sprung from iron eats itself away when arisen,
even so his own deeds lead the transgressor to states of woe.
The Elder Tissa’s Story
The Elder Tissa acquired eight cubits of coarse cloth and gave it to his sister.
Thinking it not good enough for her brother she broke it apart, and spinning fine
yarn, had it woven into a fine cloth. The Elder found young monks and novices
who were skilled in making robes and asked his sister for his cloth to make a
robe. She offered him the fine cloth, but at first he refused it, asking for the
coarse cloth he had given her. When she explained what she had done, he

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taduṭṭhāya
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saka


accepted it and had it made into a robe. His sister prepared rice and other
provisions for the robe makers and fed them well. Seeing the fine quality robe
the Elder took a liking to it, and hung it on a rail intending to use it the next day.
Unable to digest all the food he had eaten, the Elder died during the night
and was reborn as a louse in that very robe. The monks performed the funeral
rites for the Elder, and since no one had attended on the Elder during his sickness
they decided that the robe should be divided among themselves. The louse
became distraught as they took the robe to divided it, and hearing the louse
screaming, the Buddha called the Elder Ānanda and sent him with a message to
tell the monks to lay the robe aside for seven days. At the end of seven days, the
louse died and was reborn in Tusita heaven. On the eighth day the Buddha
permitted the monks to divide Tissa’s robe. They did so, and talked among
themselves, wondering why the Buddha had asked them to wait. The Buddha
explained that had he not intervened, the louse would have born a grudge against
them, and would have been reborn in hell. The monks remarked what a terrible
thing craving was and the Buddha discoursed on the dangers of craving, reciting
the above verse.
Causes of Stains
7. Asajjhāyamalā mantā, anuṭṭhānamalā gharā
Malaṃ vaṇṇassa kosajjaṃ, pamādo rakkhato malaṃ.241
7. Non-repetition is the decay of learning;
neglect is the ruin of houses;
laziness is the stain of beauty;
heedlessness is the defect of a guard.
The Elder Lāḷudāyi’s Story
The Elder Lāḷudāyi was jealous of the praise lavished on the two chief
disciples for their exposition of the Dhamma. He claimed equal proficiency in
preaching, but when called upon to show his capability he was unable to say
anything. He fled from the crowd and fell into a cesspit. When the people talked
about what had happened the Buddha said that this was not the first time he had
wallowed in a cesspool. Then he related the Sukara Jātaka1 in detail and uttered
the above verse.

1
Jā. 153.


Ignorance is the Greatest Stain
8. Mal’itthiyā duccaritaṃ, maccheraṃ dadato malaṃ
Malā ve pāpakā dhammā, asmiṃ loke paramhi ca.242
9. Tato malā malataraṃ, avijjā paramaṃ malaṃ
Etaṃ malaṃ pahatvāna, nimmalā hotha bhikkhavo.243
8. Misconduct is the stain of a woman. Stinginess is the stain of a donor.
Stains are evil things both in this world and in the next.
9. A worse stain than these is ignorance, the greatest stain.
Abandoning this stain, be stainless, O Monks!
The Unfaithful Wife
A newly married young man was ashamed due to the adulterous behaviour of
his wife, and so avoided socialising. When it was his turn to offer alms, the youth
mentioned this matter to the Buddha. The Buddha advised him not to be angry,
and related the Anabhirati Jātaka1 when she had behaved in a similar way. Then
he uttered the above verses.
A Shameless Life is Easy
10. Sujīvaṃ ahirīkena, kākasūrena dhaṃsinā
Pakkhandinā pagabbhena, saṃkiliṭṭhena jīvitaṃ.244
11. Hirīmatā ca dujjīvaṃ, niccaṃ sucigavesinā
Alīnen’āpagabbhena, suddhājīvena passatā.245
10. Easy is the life of a shameless one who is as impudent as a crow,
back-biting, presumptuous, arrogant, and corrupt.
11. Hard is the life of a modest one who ever seeks purity,
is detached, humble, clean in life, and reflective.
The Elder Cūḷasāri’s Wrong Livelihood
A co-resident of the Elder Sāriputta, named Cūḷasāri, having given some
medical treatment, obtained delicious food, and offered some to the elder,
promising to offer such food whenever he obtained it. The elder, however,
departed without saying a word. When the monks told the Buddha about this, he

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Jā 65.


said that one who practises the twenty-one kinds of wrong livelihood,
1 lives an
easy life, but one who is scrupulous has a hard time.
By Immorality the Fool Ruins Himself
12. Yo pāṇam atipāteti, musāvādañca bhāsati
Loke adinnaṃ ādiyati, paradārañca gacchati.246
13. Surāmerayapānañca, yo naro anuyuñjati
Idh’evam eso lokasmiṃ, mūlaṃ khaṇati attano.247
14. Evaṃ bho purisa jānāhi, pāpadhammā asaññatā.
Mā taṃ lobho adhammo ca, ciraṃ dukkhāya randhayuṃ.248
12-13. Whoso in this world destroys life, tells lies, takes what is not given,
goes to others’ wives, and is addicted to intoxicating drinks,
such a one digs up his own root in this world.
14. Know thus O good man: “Not easy of restraint are evil things.”
Let not greed and wickedness drag you to protracted misery.
Five Lay Disciples
Five lay disciples, each of whom was observing one of the five precepts,
spoke about the difficulty of practising their respective precepts. Having listened
to them, the Buddha spoke of the difficulty of practising each of them without
saying that any one of them was less important than the others.
The Envious Are Not At Peace
15. Dadāti ve yathāsaddhaṃ, yathāpasādanaṃ jano
Tattha yo maṅku bhavati, paresaṃ pānabhojane
Na so divā vā rattiṃ vā, samādhiṃ adhigacchati.249

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These are: 1) Medical practice; 2) Acting as a messenger; 3) Doing things at the behest
of laymen; 4) Lancing boils; 5) Giving oil for medical application; 6) Giving emetics;
7) Giving purgatives; 8) Preparing oil for nose treatment; 9) Preparing oil for medicine;
10) Presenting bamboos; 11) Presenting leaves; 12) Presenting flowers; 13) Presenting
fruits; 14) Presenting soap clay; 15) Presenting tooth-sticks; 16) Presenting water for
washing the face; 17) Presenting talcum powder; 18) Using flattering speech;
19) Speaking half-truths; 20) Fondling children; 21) Running errands.


16. Yassa c’etaṃ samucchinnaṃ, mūlaghaccaṃ samūhataṃ
Sa ve divā vā rattiṃ vā, samādhiṃ adhigacchati.250
15. People give according to their faith and as they are pleased.
Whoever therein is envious of others’ food and drink,
gains no peace either by day or by night.
16. But he who has this (feeling) fully cut off,
uprooted and destroyed,
gains peace by day and by night.
The Novice Tissa’s Story
The novice Tissa, the son of a gate-keeper, disparaged the gifts of all the
devotees including Anāthapiṇḍika, Visākhā, and even Queen Māllikā’s
incomparable alms-giving. He boasted about the generosity of his own relatives.
Some monks asked him where he came from and made investigations to discover
the truth. When they informed the Buddha about his mean behaviour the Buddha
spoke on the mental attitude of the envious and the unenvious.
There is No Fire Like Lust
17. Natthi rāgasamo aggi, natthi dosasamo gaho
Natthi mohasamaṃ jālaṃ, natthi taṇhāsamā nadi.251
17. There is no fire like lust, no bond like hate,
no net like delusion, no torrent like craving.
Five Laymen Listen to the Dhamma
Five laymen paid homage to the Buddha, asked him to teach the Dhamma,
and sat respectfully at one side. As the Buddha was preaching, one man
immediately fell asleep, one man sat digging the earth, another sat shaking a
tree, another sat gazing at the sky, but only one was attentive. The Elder Ānanda
noticed this as he fanned the Buddha, and asked why some failed to pay attention
even when the Buddha was teaching the Dhamma like a thunder-cloud pouring
rain. The Buddha said that in many past lives one man had been a snake, so he
could never get enough sleep, another had been an earth worm, another had
been a monkey, and another had been an astrologer. The man who was attentive
had been a scholar of the three Vedas. He thus attributed their inattentiveness to
their past tendencies. He uttered the above verse showing that it was very hard to
escape from lust, hatred, ignorance, and craving.


Easy to See Are Others’ Faults
18. Sudassaṃ vajjam aññesaṃ, attano pana duddasaṃ
Paresaṃ hi so vajjāni, opunāti yathā bhusaṃ
Attano pana chādeti, kaliṃ ’va kitavā saṭho.252
18. Easily seen are others’ faults, hard to see are one’s own.
Like chaff one winnows others’ faults,
but one’s own (faults) one hides,
as a crafty fowler conceals himself by camouflage.
The Millionaire Meṇḍaka’s Story
At one time, while wandering in the region of Aṅga and Uttara the Buddha
saw that the millionaire Meṇḍaka and his family were ready to attain Stream-
winning, thus he went to stay in the Jātiyā Forest near the city of Bhaddiyā.
In a previous life, Meṇḍaka and his family had to endure a long famine.
When they were reduced to their last measure of rice, a Solitary Buddha arrived at
his house for alms. Reflecting that he had had to suffer due to lack of merit, as
soon as he saw the Solitary Buddha coming, Meṇḍaka offered his portion of rice,
making an earnest wish that he would never have to suffer again from poverty.
His wife, son, daughter-in-law, and grand-daughter also offered their portions
making similar wishes. The slave likewise offered his portion, wishing to be the
servant of Meṇḍaka and his wife again.
1 Due to their meritorious deeds and
earnest wish, the six people never again had to suffer a famine or poverty until
they were reborn again as Meṇḍaka and his family in the time of Buddha Gotama,
and again Meṇḍaka’s family was blessed by fabulous wealth.
Hearing that the Buddha had arrived and was staying nearby, Meṇḍaka
wished to greet him. On the way he met some heretics who tried to dissuade him
from going to see the Buddha, but he ignored them. On listening to the Dhamma,
Meṇḍaka and his family all attained Stream-winning. When he told the Teacher
about meeting the heretics, the Buddha uttered the above verse.
Defilements Multiply in Fault-finders
19. Paravajjānupassissa, niccaṃ ujjhānasaññino
Āsavā tassa vaḍḍhanti, ārā so āsavakkhayā.253

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Though he could have wished to become a Commander-in-Chief, yet he had such
affection for his master and mistress that he only wished to be their servant again.


19. He who sees others’ faults, and is ever irritable —
the defilements of such a one multiply.
He is far from the destruction of defilements.
The Fault-finding Elder
A certain elder was always finding fault with other monks, even regarding
how they wore their robes. The monks told the Buddha about it. The Buddha said
that one who admonishes others lawfully according to his duty is not at fault, but
one who finds fault just out of malice will not gain concentration, and his
defilements will increase. Saying thus, he uttered the above verse.
No Saints Outside of the Buddhadhamma
20. Ākāse padaṃ natthi, samaṇo natthi bāhire
Papañcābhiratā pajā, nippapañcā Tathāgatā.254
21. Ākāse padaṃ natthi, samaṇo natthi bāhire
Saṅkhārā sassatā natthi, natthi buddhānaṃ iñjitaṃ.255
20. In the sky there is no track. Outside there is no recluse.
Mankind delights in obstacles.
The Tathāgatas are free from obstacles.
21. In the sky there is no track. Outside there is no recluse.
There are no conditioned things that are eternal.
There is no instability in the Buddhas.
The Wanderer Subhadda’s Story
When the Buddha was on his deathbed, on the eve of his parinibbāna, a
wandering ascetic named Subhadda approached and wished to question him. The
Elder Ānanda stopped him, but the Buddha told him to let Subhadda approach.
The wanderer Subhadda asked the Buddha about the leading teachers who
belonged to other orders. In reply the Buddha uttered the above verses.
In a previous life Subhadda had been a farmer, and though his younger
brother had offered the first fruits of the harvest nine times, he had refused until
at last he did give some alms. Due to his previous kamma, he had to wait until the
very end of the Buddha’s life to get the opportunity to realise the Dhamma.