Dhammapadaधम्मपद
Verses of the Buddha's teaching. 4 passages in the chapters come from it.
- What it is
- 423 verses in 26 chapters
- Composed
- Compiled in the last centuries BCE; written down with the Pali Canon in Sri Lanka in the 1st century BCE
- By
- Sayings ascribed to the Buddha, gathered by the early community
- References on this site
- Verse numbers, 1 to 423.
Part of the Pali Canon of Theravāda Buddhism, and one of the best-loved Buddhist texts. Its verses are short and practical: the mind comes before all things (verse 1), hatred is never ended by hatred (verse 5), and the wise guard their minds as a fletcher straightens an arrow. Versions survive in other languages too: Gāndhārī, Sanskrit (the Udānavarga), Chinese and Tibetan.
Read it in full
- SuttaCentral: the Pali with free translations (free, opens another site)
Translations in print
- Valerie J. Roebuck, The Dhammapada (Penguin, 2010)
- K. R. Norman, The Word of the Doctrine (Pali Text Society, 1997)
Names with marks such as ā, ṣ or ṛ are explained in how to read the names and terms.
The 4 passages the chapters quote
- DocumentedUnit 2 · Personality, Perception, Attitude
Self-serving bias and others' faults and one's own
Read it in its chapter“The faults of others are easy to see, one's own hard to see. One winnows others' faults like chaff, but hides one's own, as a cheat hides a losing throw.” सुदस्सं वज्जमञ्ञेसं । अत्तनो पन दुद्दसं । परेसं हि सो वज्जानि ओपुनाति यथा भुसं । अत्तनो पन छादेति कलिं व कितवा सठो । sudassaṃ vajjam aññesaṃ, attano pana duddasaṃ; paresaṃ hi so vajjāni opunāti yathā bhusaṃ; attano pana chādeti kaliṃ va kitavā saṭho. Dhammapada 252 (Pali)
- My viewUnit 2 · Personality, Perception, Attitude
A state of readiness that steers response and mind leads speech and action
Read it in its chapter“Mental states are led by mind, ruled by mind, made of mind. If one speaks or acts with a corrupted mind, suffering follows, as the wheel follows the ox's foot.” मनोपुब्बङ्गमा धम्मा मनोसेट्ठा मनोमया । मनसा चे पदुट्ठेन भासति वा करोति वा । ततो नं दुक्खमन्वेति चक्कं व वहतो पदं । manopubbaṅgamā dhammā manoseṭṭhā manomayā; manasā ce paduṭṭhena bhāsati vā karoti vā; tato naṃ dukkham anveti cakkaṃ va vahato padaṃ. Dhammapada 1 (Pali)
- My viewUnit 2 · Interpersonal Behaviour
Rehearsing the wrong and 'he abused me, he struck me'
Read it in its chapter““He abused me, he struck me, he defeated me, he robbed me”: in those who harbour such thoughts, hatred is not stilled.” अक्कोच्छि मं अवधि मं । अजिनि मं अहासि मे । ये च तं उपनय्हन्ति । वेरं तेसं न सम्मति । akkocchi maṃ avadhi maṃ, ajini maṃ ahāsi me; ye ca taṃ upanayhanti, veraṃ tesaṃ na sammati. Dhammapada 3 (Pali)
- My viewUnit 2 · Industrial Relations
Settling a dispute and hatred ends only by non-hatred
Read it in its chapter“Hatred is never ended by hatred in this world; by non-hatred it is ended. This is an ancient law.” न हि वेरेन वेरानि सम्मन्तीध कुदाचनं । अवेरेन च सम्मन्ति । एस धम्मो सनन्तनो । na hi verena verāni sammantīdha kudācanaṃ; averena ca sammanti, esa dhammo sanantano. Dhammapada 5 (Pali)
Cite this page
- APA
Veda Verse. (2026, October 25). Dhammapada: what it is, and the passages we quote. https://myvedaverse.in/learn/texts/dhammapada
- MLA
“Dhammapada: what it is, and the passages we quote.” Veda Verse, 25 Oct. 2026, myvedaverse.in/learn/texts/dhammapada.
- Chicago
Veda Verse. “Dhammapada: what it is, and the passages we quote.” Last modified October 25, 2026. https://myvedaverse.in/learn/texts/dhammapada.
Check the form your course asks for. The date is when this page's content last changed.