Fools of little wisdom go about as their own enemies, doing evil deeds that bear bitter fruit.

Amitteneva attanā — as their own enemy: one of the most psychologically acute observations in the Dhammapada. The greatest harm someone external can do is limited compared to the harm we inflict on ourselves through ignorance-driven actions.

Dummedhā — of little wisdom, of limited mind. The fool is not one who lacks information but one who lacks the capacity to apply discernment to their own actions and their consequences.

Kaṭukapphalaṃ — bitter fruit: the image is concrete and physical. The consequences of ignorance-driven actions are unpleasant when they ripen, like the fruit of the bitter tree. There is no external punishment — only the natural law of cause and effect.

The responsibility implied by this verse is total. There is no God who punishes or society that condemns — only the natural continuity between action and consequence. This vision frees from religious guilt and responsabilizes from understanding.