asajjhāyamalāvedā anuṭṭhāṇamalā gharā । malo vaṇṇassa kosajjaṁ pramādo rakkhatāṁ malo ।।Lack of repetition is the ruin of the Vedā, a lack of maintenance is the ruin of homes, indolence is the ruin of one’s appearance, heedlessness is the ruin of those on guard.

malo istiye duccaritaṁ maccheraṁ dadatāṁ malo । malo pāpāni kaṁmāṇi assiṁ loke paramhi ca ।।Bad conduct is a woman’s stain, stinginess is a giver’s stain, wicked deeds are a stain both in this world and in the next.

tato malataraṁ brūmi avijjā maraṇaṁ malaṁ । ete male prahattāna niṁmalā caratha bhikkhavo ।।I say there is a stain worse than that, ignorance is a deadly stain, after abandoning those stains, live without stains, monastics!

ayasā tu malo samuṭṭhito tato uṭṭhāya tam eva khādati । em eva vidhūnacāriyaṁ sakāni kaṁmāṇi nayanti doggatiṁ ।।As a rust stain arises from iron, and arisen from that, it eats it away, so with one who is overindulgent—his deeds lead him to a bad destiny.

pāṇḍupalāśo ca dāni si yamapuruṣā pi ca te upaṭṭhitā । uyyogamukhe ca tiṣṭhasi pātheyaṁ pi ca te na vijjati ।।You are now a withered leaf, Yama’s men stand waiting for you, you stand at decay’s door, with no provisions for the journey found.

uyyamassa ghaṭassa āttanā kaṁmāro rajataṁ va niddhame । niddhāntamalo anaṅgano bitiyaṁ ariyabhūmim esi ।।You should strive and endeavour by yourself, like a smith, you should remove the stain, removing the stain, blemishless, you seek the second noble realm.

anupūrvveṇa medhāvī thokathokaṁ khaṇe khaṇe । kammāro rajatasseva niddhame malam āttano ।।The sage gradually, little by little, moment by moment, should remove the stain from himself, like a smith removes the stain from silver.

sujīvaṁ ahirīkena saṁkiliṣṭan tu jīvati । prakkhaṇḍinā pragabbheṇa kākaśūreṇa dhansinā ।।Life is light for one without shame, he lives a life with defilements, backbiting and recklessness, with the bold courage of a crow.

hirīmatā tu dujjīvaṁ niccaṁ śucigaveṣiṇā । alīnenāpragabbheṇa śuddhājīvena paśśatā ।।Life is hard when endowed with shame, for the one constantly seeking purity, for one sincere, and not reckless, looking for purity of life.

supaśśaṁ vajjaṁ aṁñesaṁ āttano puna duddaśaṁ । paresām iha vajjāni uppunāti yathā busaṁ ।Easy to see are others’ fault, but one’s own is hard to see, for one sifts other peoples’ faults like they were chaff, āttano puna chādeti kalim va kṛtavāṁ śaṭho ।।but conceals one’s own faults, like a crafty player conceals his defeat.

sukarāṇi asādhūni āttano ahitāni ca । yaṁ ve hitaṁ ca sādhuñ ca taṁ ve paramadukkaraṁ ।।Easily done are things not good, and unbeneficial for oneself, but that which is beneficial and good is supremely hard to do.

sukarāṇi asādhūni āttano ahitāni ca । yāni hitāni sādhūni tāni kurvvanti paṇḍitā ।।Easily done are things not good, and unbeneficial for oneself, but only those beneficial and good are done by the wise.

alajjitavve lajjanti lajjitavve na lajjatha । abhaye bhayadaṁśāvī bhaye cābhayadaṁśino ।They are ashamed of what is not shameful, not ashamed of what is shameful, seeing fear in what is not fearful, not seeing fear in what is fearful, micchadṛṣṭisamādānā sattā gacchanti doggatiṁ ।।undertaking wrong views, beings go to a bad destiny.

avajje vajjamatino vajje cāvajjasaṁñino । micchadṛṣṭisamādānā sattā gacchanti doggatiṁ ।।Finding blame in what is blameless, not perceiving blame in what is blameable, undertaking wrong views, beings go to a bad destiny.

asāre sāramatino sāre cā ’sārasaṁñino । te sāran nādhigacchanti micchasaṁkappagocarā ।।Finding the essential in the unessential, and perceiving the unessential in the essential, they do not understand what is the essential, and resort to wrong intention.

sārañ ca sārato ññāttā asārañ ca asārato । te sāram adhigacchanti saṁmasaṁkappagocarā ।।Knowing the essential in what is essential, and the unessential in what is unessential, they understand what is essential, and resort to right intention.

ayoge yuñjiyāttānaṁ yogamhi ca ayuṁjiya । atthaṁ hettā priyaggrāhī pṛhayantatthānuyogināṁ ।।Engaging oneself in what is not suitable, not engaging in what is suitable, abandoning the good, grasping the loved, they envy those who endeavour for good.

MalavarggaḥThe Chapter about Stains