Misconduct is the impurity of a woman, miserliness is the impurity of a giver. Evil qualities are impurities both in this world and in the next.

Malitthiyā duccaritaṃ — misconduct is the impurity of a woman: although the text specifically mentions women, the teaching is universal: misconduct is impurity for any person. The context reflects the patriarchal society of the time.

Maccheraṃ dadato malaṃ — miserliness is the impurity of a giver: macchera is miserliness, stinginess. Giving (dadato) with miserliness — reluctantly, with petty calculation — contaminates the very act of generosity.

Malā ve pāpakā dhammā asmiṃ loke paramhi ca — evil qualities are impurities in both worlds: moral impurities are not limited to this life but have consequences in the next. The moral law operates in both worlds without exception.

The cataloging of impurities in this vagga functions as an examination of conscience: each verse presents a different form of deterioration that the practitioner can recognize in their own experience.