1At Sāvatthī. Standing to one side, that devata addressed the Blessed One in verse:

2v.223 "Having slain what does one sleep soundly?
Having slain what does one not sorrow?
What is the one thing, O Gotama,
Whose killing you approve?" [n.127] Se, Ee2 jhatva is certainly the correct reading, chetva in Be and Ee1 a normalization. The gloss in Spk, vadhitva, supports jhatva, and G-Dhp 288–89 has jatva, the Gandharī Prakrit counterpart. See Brough, Gandhari Dharmapada, pp. 164, 265–66. Jhatva is also found in the SS reading of v. 94b.

The Blessed One:

3v.224 "Having slain anger, one sleeps soundly;
Having slain anger, one does not sorrow;
The killing of anger, O devata,
With its poisoned root and honeyed tip:
This is the killing the noble ones praise,
For having slain that, one does not sorrow." [n.128] Spk: Anger has a poisoned root (visamūla) because it results in suffering. It has a honeyed tip (madhuragga) because pleasure arises when one returns anger with anger, abuse with abuse, or a blow with a blow.

1Sāvatthinidānaṁ. Ekamantaṁ ṭhitā kho sā devatā bhagavantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

2"Kiṁsu chetvā sukhaṁ seti,
kiṁsu chetvā na socati;
Kissassu ekadhammassa,
vadhaṁ rocesi gotamā"ti.

3"Kodhaṁ chetvā sukhaṁ seti,
kodhaṁ chetvā na socati;
Kodhassa visamūlassa,
madhuraggassa devate;
Vadhaṁ ariyā pasaṁsanti,
tañhi chetvā na socatī"ti.