Today's Vedika insight
1 September 2026 · Avoid what is unwholesome, cultivate what is skilful, and purify one’s own mind: this is the teaching of the Buddhas.
Sabbapāpassa akaraṇaṃ, kusalassa upasampadā; sacittapariyodapanaṃ, etaṃ buddhāna sāsanaṃ.
sabbapāpassa akaraṇaṃ | kusalassa upasampadā | sacitta-pariyodapanaṃ | etaṃ buddhāna sāsanaṃ || 183 ||
“The non-doing of all evil; the undertaking of what is skilful; the purification of one’s own mind—this is the teaching of the Buddhas.”
Vedika literal rendering, checked against the Pāli text and SuttaCentral/Tipitaka translations.
“The Dhammapada joins three disciplines: stop feeding harm, actively cultivate the wholesome, and clarify the mind from which action arises.”
Avoid what is unwholesome, cultivate what is skilful, and purify one’s own mind: this is the teaching of the Buddhas. Dhammapada 183
Vedika commentary
Avoiding harm is essential but incomplete: an empty habit must be replaced by a skilful one. Even good action can become mechanical unless the mind’s greed, aversion and confusion are examined. The three movements therefore support one another.
Vedika distinguishes the original Sanskrit, a literal rendering, and an interpretive paraphrase so that the words of the text are never confused with explanation.
Source
Avoid what is unwholesome, cultivate what is skilful, and purify one’s own mind: this is the teaching of the Buddhas. Dhammapada 183
Traditional commentary
Dhammapada 183; Theravāda Pāli commentarial and practice traditions
Explanation
Vedika
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