It is better not to do a bad deed. One is tormented by remorse after a bad deed.
It is better to do a good deed, which one does not regret when it is accomplished.

akataj   dukkataj  seyyo  paccha tappati   dukkataj
|                   |             |           |           |              |
Adj.n.        N.n.      Adj.n.   Adv.  V.pas.in.     N.n.
Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg.    |     3.Sg.pres.  Nom.Sg.
|___________|            |           |______|               |
           |____________|                 |___________|

List of Abbreviations

kataj      ca    sukataj   seyyo        yaj        katva  na   anutappati
|                |          |             |               |               |       |           |
Adj.n.    conj.    N.n.      Adj.n.   Rel.Pron.n.  V.ger. neg.  V.pas.in.
Nom.Sg.    |    Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg.   Nom.Sg.        |       |     3.Sg.pres.
|_________|______|            |               |               |       |______|
        |__________________|               |               |_______|
                          |                              |____________|
                          |_______________________|

akataj: akata-, Adj.: not done, undone. It is a negated (by the negative prefix a-) word kata- (see below). Nom.Sg.n. = akataj.

dukkataj: dukkata-, N.n.: bad deed, evil deed. It is the word kata-, Adj (see below) with the prefix du- (bad, wrong). Nom.Sg. = dukkataj.

seyyo: seyya-, Adj.: better. Nom.Sg.n. = seyyo.

paccha, Adv.: afterwards, after that, later.

tappati, V.: to be tormented, to be consumed by remorse. Pass. of tap- (to be hot, to burn). 3.Sg.pas.in.pres. = tappati.

dukkataj: see above.

kataj: kata-, Adj.: done. It is a p.p. of the verb kar- (to do). Nom.Sg.n. = kataj.

List of Abbreviations

ca, conj.: and.

sukataj: sukata-, N.n. good deed. It is the word kata-, Adj (see above) with the prefix su- (good, well). Nom.Sg. = sukataj.

seyyo: see above.

yaj: yat-, Rel.Pron.: that, which. Nom.Sg.n.: yaj.

katva, V.ger.: having done. The verb root is kar- (to do).

na, neg.: not.

anutappati, V.: to regret, to feel remorse. Pass. of tap- (to be hot, to burn) with the prefix anu- (following, after). 3.Sg.pas.in.pres. = anutappati.
Euphonic combination: na + anutappati = nanutappati.

List of Abbreviations

    This verse consists of three syntactically separate sentences. They are:
    1) akataj dukkataj seyyo (it is better not to do a bad deed). The subject is the noun dukkataj (bad deed, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the adjective akataj (not done, nominative singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the adjective seyyo (better, nominative singular).
    2) paccha tappati dukkataj (one is tormented [by remorse] after a bad deed). The subject is the noun dukkataj (bad deed, nominative singular). The verb is tappati (is tormented, 3^rd person, singular, passive, indicative, present tense). It has an attribute, the adverb paccha (afterwards).
    3) kataj ca sukataj seyyo yaj katva nanutappati (it is better to do a good deed, which one does not regret when it is accomplished). This can be further analysed into the main sentence a) and the subordinate clause b):
    a) kataj ca sukataj seyyo (it is better to do a good deed). The subject is the noun sukataj (god deed, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the adjective kataj (done, nominative singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the adjective seyyo (better, nominative singular). The conjunction ca (and) connects this sentence to the previous one.
    b) yaj katva nanutappati (which one does not regret when it is accomplished). Here, the subject is the relative pronoun yaj (that which, nominative singular). It also connects the clause to the main sentence. The verbal phrase katva nanutappati (having done - does not regret) serves as the verb here. The word katva (having done) is in the gerundive, the verb anutappati (regrets, 3^rd person, singular, passive, indicative, present tense) is negated by the negative particle na (not).

    In Savatthi there lived a very jealous woman. She found out that her husband was having an affair with her maid. So one day she tied up the maid, cut off her ears and nose and locked her up in a room. Then she accompanied her husband to the Jetavana monastery.
    The relatives of the maid immediately found out what happened. They freed her and took her to see the Buddha. The maid told the whole congregation (where the woman with her husband were also present) what had happened. The Buddha admonished the woman with this verse, saying that it is better not to do any kind of evil, not even in secret - because everything will be known at the end. The woman realized her mistakes and strove to uproot her jealousy.

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

akataj
dukkataj
seyyo
paccha
tappati
kataj
ca
sukataj
yaj
katva
na
anutappati