Dhammapada 67

An action is not well done if, after doing it, you regret it, and meet its result weeping, with a…

An action is not well done if, after doing it, you regret it, and meet its result weeping, with a face full of tears.

Translated from the Pāli by Banya

In plain words

An action is not well done when, after doing it, you regret it and experience its result with tears and weeping. The verse draws attention to the painful consequences of such an action.

Key words

vipāka

result, ripening — An action's result is described as something experienced later.

The story behind the verse

A farmer is unjustly accused of theft

In the commentary, Thieves divided stolen goods in a field, and one dropped a purse without noticing. The Buddha and Ānanda passed the field, and the Buddha referred to the purse where the farmer could hear, and the farmer found it and buried it. People tracing the stolen property discovered the purse and accused the farmer of theft, and As he was led toward execution, he repeated the Buddha’s earlier words. His guards brought him before the king, and the circumstances were investigated, and the farmer was cleared, and the Buddha taught about actions followed by bitter regret.

Retold by Banya from the traditional commentary, after E. W. Burlingame, Buddhist Legends (1921).

Explanation by Banya. Traditional readings vary.