Few lines in Buddhist literature are quoted as often as Dhammapada verse 5. It is short, and it is easy to remember. Yet the story that goes with it is even more striking. This guide shares both, so the verse feels less like a slogan and more like a lived lesson.
What Dhammapada Verse 5 Says
According to the 1881 translation by F. Max Müller on Project Gutenberg, the verse reads: “For hatred does not cease by hatred at any time: hatred ceases by love, this is an old rule.”
The Pali ending, esa dhammo sanantano, is often rendered as “this is an eternal law.” In plain words, anger answered with anger only feeds itself. It ends when someone answers with goodwill.
The Story Behind Dhammapada Verse 5
The story comes from the traditional commentary on the Dhammapada, not from the verse itself. Retellings differ in small details, so take it as a traditional account. The commentary says the Buddha spoke the verse at Jetavana monastery in Savatthi.
A Feud That Lasted Many Lives
The story behind Dhammapada verse 5 begins in an ordinary household. A wife who could not have children arranged for her husband to marry a second woman. When the second wife became pregnant, jealousy took over. The first wife caused her rival to lose the child.
The second wife died, filled with anger, and vowed revenge. Then the commentary says the two women were reborn again and again, each time as enemies. In some retellings they appear as animals that hunt each other. In the last life, one is a noblewoman with a baby, and the other is a yakkhini named Kali.
How the Buddha Ended It
The noblewoman, running from the yakkhini, heard that the Buddha was nearby. She placed her child at his feet for protection. This is the moment Dhammapada verse 5 was spoken. The Buddha then addressed both of them.
He reminded them of the many lives they had spent as rivals. Each wrong had been answered with another, and the cycle had never stopped. According to the story, the yakkhini finally understood, and the long feud ended. The verse is the Buddha’s summary of that lesson.
What Dhammapada Verse 5 Means Today
You are unlikely to meet a yakkhini. But a quiet version of this feud may be part of your own life: a family quarrel, a grudge at work, or an online argument you replay at night.
The story points to three simple ideas.
- Revenge rarely settles a score, since it usually creates the next wrong.
- Seeing the pattern is the first step, because it shows how much pain both sides carry.
- Goodwill does not mean approval. It means you refuse to feed the cycle.
For a practical angle, see these steps for responding to anger.
A Small Practice for Hard Days
Here is one simple way to live Dhammapada verse 5. This is a modern adaptation, not a traditional rule. Think of one person you are in conflict with. Say quietly, “May you be safe. May you be well.” You do not have to feel warm toward them. You only have to try.
If you would like a guided version, read about loving-kindness meditation. For a quiet listen with many verses on screen, see our one-hour Dhammapada meditation.
Final Thoughts on Dhammapada Verse 5
Dhammapada verse 5 does not ask you to be weak. It asks you to stop adding fuel to a fire. The story of Kali shows that even a feud many lives old can end when one side chooses goodwill. If a conflict is wearing you down, try one kind wish today, and see what changes.
