The Hell chapter is the Dhammapada's sternest, concerned with the trajectories of dishonesty and half-heartedness. It opens with the liar and the deed-denier arriving at the same place: the speaker of untruth goes to the downward path, and so does the one who says 'I did not do it' — both equal hereafter (22.1). The robe protects no one: many who wear it are unrestrained, and better to swallow a red-hot iron ball than to live on the country's alms immoral (22.2–22.3). Four griefs stalk the adulterer: demerit, broken sleep, blame, and the downward path (22.4).
The chapter's most useful teaching is about wholeheartedness. As kusa grass wrongly grasped cuts the hand, the ascetic life wrongly handled drags one down (22.6); a slack practice and a doubt-ridden vow bear no fruit (22.7) — if a thing is to be done, do it firmly (22.8). Better an evil deed left undone, which torments later, than done; better a good deed done, which brings no regret (22.9). Guard yourself like a frontier city, within and without, and let the moment not pass (22.10). The closing quartet is about moral eyesight itself: those ashamed of the harmless and shameless about the harmful walk wrong; those who see fault as fault and the faultless as faultless walk toward the good (22.11–22.14).
Key verses
The speaker of untruth goes to hell, and so does the one who, having done a deed, says, 'I did not.' Both, having done base deeds, become equal hereafter.
Better is the evil deed left undone — afterwards it torments. Better is the good deed done — having done which, one does not regret.
Like a frontier city guarded within and without, so guard yourself. Let the moment not pass you by — those who let the moment pass grieve, consigned to hell.
Read Chapter 22 in full
Every verse with translation, word meanings, and commentary — free.
ઍપમાં મફત વાંચોપરંપરાઓને પૂછો
એક પ્રશ્ન। પાંચ પરંપરાઓના જવાબ।
એકાઉન્ટ વગર દર 24 કલાકે 2 પ્રશ્નો।