‹ Library

Dhammapada 256–272

Dhammaṭṭhavagga

19. The Just · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

Parallels & more translations on SuttaCentral

Glosses: Fluent · Literal · Off
Translation: Hide · Show

Tap any word for its dictionary entry.

notNa by thattena one becomeshoti justdhammaṭṭho,
by which a caseyenatthaṁ hastilysāhasā one judgesnaye;
whoYo andca what is pertinentatthaṁ and what is irrelevantanatthañca,
bothubho evaluatesniccheyya astute personpaṇḍito.

You don’t become just by passing hasty judgment. An astute person evaluates both what is pertinent and what is irrelevant.

without hasteAsāhasena with dhammadhammena,
impartiallysamena judgesnayatī otherspare;
of the dhammaDhammassa guardiangutto wise onemedhāvī,
"one established in dhamma" thus“dhammaṭṭho”ti is said to bepavuccati.

A wise one judges others without haste, justly and impartially; that guardian of the law is said to be just.

notNa by thattena an astute scholarpaṇḍito ishoti,
becauseyāvatā a lotbahu speaksbhāsati;
secureKhemī free of enmityaverī fearlessabhayo,
“astute,” it is“paṇḍito”ti is said to bepavuccati.

You’re not an astute scholar just because you speak a lot. One who is secure, free of enmity and fear, is said to be astute.

notNa by that muchtāvatā a bearer of the teachingdhammadharo,
merelyyāvatā muchbahu recitesbhāsati;
whoeverYo andca even a littleappampi having heardsutvāna,
the teachingdhammaṁ with the bodykāyena seespassati;
heSa indeedve a bearer of the teachingdhammadharo ishoti,
whoyo the teachingdhammaṁ does not neglectnappamajjati.

You’re not one who has memorized the teaching just because you recite a lot. Someone who directly sees the teaching after hearing only a little is truly one who has memorized the teaching, for they can never forget it.

notNa by thattena an elderthero heso becomeshoti,
because of whichyenassa grey-hairedpalitaṁ headsiro;
ripeParipakko agevayo of himtassa,
“aged in vain,”“moghajiṇṇo”ti is calledvuccati.

You don’t become a senior by getting some grey hairs; for one ripe only in age, is said to have aged in vain.

in whomYamhi and truthsaccañca principledhammo andca,
harmlessnessahiṁsā restraintsaṁyamo self-controldamo;
heSa indeedve purged of stainvantamalo wisedhīro,
“senior”“thero” thusiti is calledpavuccati.

One who is truthful and principled, harmless, restrained, and self-controlled, attentive, purged of stains, is said to be a senior.

notNa by mere enunciationvākkaraṇamattena,
by beautiful complexionvaṇṇapokkharatāya orvā;
holySādhurūpo a personnaro becomeshoti,
jealousissukī stingymaccharī devioussaṭho.

Not by mere enunciation, or a beautiful complexion does a person become holy, if they’re jealous, stingy, and devious.

of whomYassa thiscetaṁ cut outsamucchinnaṁ,
dug up at the rootmūlaghaccaṁ eradicatedsamūhataṁ;
thatSa purged of vicevantadoso intelligent onemedhāvī,
holy“sādhurūpo”ti is saidvuccati.

But if they’ve cut that out, dug it up at the root, eradicated it, that intelligent one, purged of vice, is said to be holy.

notNa by shaven headmuṇḍakena an asceticsamaṇo,
breaker of vowsabbato a liealikaṁ speakingbhaṇaṁ;
endowed with desire and greedIcchālobhasamāpanno,
an asceticsamaṇo howkiṁ will becomebhavissati.

A liar and breaker of vows is no ascetic just because they shave their head. How on earth can one be an ascetic who’s full of desire and greed?

whoYo andca stopssameti wicked deedspāpāni,
great and smallaṇuṁthūlāni in every waysabbaso;
because of stoppingSamitattā indeedhi of wicked deedspāpānaṁ,
an ascetic“samaṇo”ti is said to bepavuccati.

One who stops all wicked deeds, great and small, because of stopping wicked deeds is said to be an ascetic.

notNa by thattena a mendicantbhikkhu heso becomeshoti,
as far asyāvatā begsbhikkhate from otherspare;
domestic dutiesVissaṁ dhammadhammaṁ having undertakensamādāya,
a mendicantbhikkhu becomeshoti notna to that extenttāvatā.

You don’t become a mendicant just by begging from others. One who has undertaken domestic duties has not yet become a mendicant.

who hereYodha merit andpuññañca evil and,pāpañca,
having banishedbāhetvā living a spiritual life;brahmacariyavā;
having appraisedSaṅkhāya the worldloke wanders,carati,
hesa indeedve "a mendicant"“bhikkhū”ti is said.vuccati.

But one living a spiritual life, who has banished both merit and evil, who wanders having appraised the world, is said to be a mendicant.

notNa by being sagelikemonena a sagemunī becomeshoti,
confusedmūḷharūpo ignorantaviddasu;
whoYo andca the scalestulaṁva holdspaggayha,
taking only the bestvaramādāya astute onepaṇḍito.

You don’t become a sage by being sagelike, while still confused and ignorant. The astute one who holds the scales, taking only the best,

bad deedsPāpāni shunsparivajjeti,
hesa a sagemunī therebytena heso a sagemuni;
whoYo weighsmunāti bothubho in the worldloke,
a sage“muni” therebytena is said to bepavuccati.

and shunning the bad— that is a sage, and that is how one becomes a sage. One who sagely weighs both in the world, is thereby said to be a sage.

notNa by thattena a noble oneariyo becomeshoti,
by whichyena living beingspāṇāni harmshiṁsati;
harmlessnessAhiṁsā toward all living beingssabbapāṇānaṁ,
“a noble one”“ariyo”ti is said to bepavuccati.

You don’t become a noble one by harming living beings. One harmless toward all living beings is said to be a noble one.

notNa by mere precepts and observancessīlabbatamattena,
by much learningbāhusaccena orvā andpana;
thenAtha orvā by meditative immersionsamādhilābhena,
by living in seclusionvivittasayanena orvā.

Not by precepts and observances, nor by much learning, nor by meditative immersion, nor by living in seclusion,

I experiencePhusāmi the bliss of renunciationnekkhammasukhaṁ,
not frequented by ordinary peopleaputhujjanasevitaṁ;
a mendicantBhikkhu rests confidentvissāsamāpādi,
not attainedappatto the end of defilementsāsavakkhayaṁ.
the Chapter on the JustDhammaṭṭhavaggo nineteenthekūnavīsatimo.

do I experience the bliss of renunciation not frequented by ordinary people. A mendicant cannot rest confident without attaining the end of defilements.

Lite mode — plain HTML for e-readers and old browsers. Full version