akuśala-dharmāḥ [akusala-dhammā] unwholesome factors. The three evil roots of greed, hatred and delusion are termed as akuśalamūla. They lead to demeritorious mental actions of covetousness or desire to possess what belongs to others, ill will and wrong views. Defilements (akuśala kleśa) exist in the realm of desire. Dhammasaṅgaṇī classifies the factors of consciousness into wholesome (kuśala), unwholesome (akuśala) and neutral. In the Abhidhamma fourteen unwholesome mental factors (akuśala cetasika-s) are enumerated. They are

(1) delusion,	(2) shamelessness,
(3) lack of dread,	(4) restlessness,

(5) greed,	(6) wrong-view,
(7) pride,	(8) hatred,
(9) jealousy,	(10) selfishness,
(11) worry,	(12) sloth,
(13) torpor,	(14) sceptical doubt.

     The mind itself knows an object. On account of good or evil mental factors it becomes good or evil. The akuśala cetasika-s contaminate mind. They are present in the stream of consciousness of every being.

     In the Milindapañhapāḷi King Milinda asks Nāgasena, "Is the consequence the same to him who does good and to him who does evil, or is there any difference in the two cases?" Nāgasena's reply reminds us of a well-known statement in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (IV. 4.5). "By doing good the self becomes good, and by doing evil it becomes evil." Nāgasena says, "There is a difference, O king, between good (kuśala) and evil (akuśala). Good works have a happy result, and lead to heaven and evil works have an unhappy result, and lead to hell... He who does wrong, O king, comes to feel remorse, and acknowledges his evil doing."

     Akusala dhamma-s, unwholesome dharma-s, namely, greed (lobha), hatred (doṣa), and delusion (moha), entirely rule over the kingdom of all classes of unwholesome consciousness. They give birth to lower passions. For example, delusion gives birth to shamelessness (āhrīkya), unscrupulousness (anapatrāpya) and restlessness (auddhatya).

     The Buddha has thrown light on akuśala dharma-s while giving a sermon on nirvāṇa. He says, "Anger and malevolence, envy and jealousy, niggardliness and avarice, hypocrisy, deceit and arrogance, infatuation and indolence are akuśala dharma-s." The Buddhist tradition further elaborates the consequences of the akuśala dharma-s. A deluded person is certainly devoid of the discriminating faculty and so is not ashamed of unworthy actions. Unworthy actions lead him to restlessness. Greed deprives a person of right views. It further results in self-conceit (māna). Hatred gives birth to envy (īrṣyā) which is further followed by egotism (mātsarya) which invites worry (kaukṛtya).

     The consequences of akusala dhamma-s giving rise to further undesired vices may be compared to those mentioned in the Gītā. "To the men thinking about the objects of the senses arises attachment towards them, from attachment longing, and from longing arises anger. From anger comes delusion; and from delusion, loss of memory, due to ruin of discrimination, he perishes."

     The Buddhist tradition says that the three unwholesome factors -- hatred, greed and delusion -- bring in the undesired result (aniṣṭa -vipāka) and take one to hell.

Buddhānusmṛti - A Glossary of Buddhist Terms

Aṭṭhasālinī. I. 121, 366. A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma. I. 32-37; II. 83-85, 94-95. Dīgha Nikāya. Saṅgīti. Majjhima Nikāya. Dhātuvibhaṅga, Sallekha, Sammādiṭṭhi.