Verses
320. Like an elephant in battle enduring arrows shot from bows, so shall I endure abusive speech; for indeed, the mass of people are undisciplined.
Verse 1
321. Only the tamed beast is led into an assembly; the king mounts only a tamed steed. The tamed person is supreme among human beings—he who patiently endures verbal abuse.
Verse 2
322. Excellent are trained mules, noble are thoroughbred Sindhi steeds, and noble are the great tusked elephants; but far nobler than all these is the person who has tamed himself.
Verse 3
323. For never by these worldly vehicles could one reach that Untrodden Realm (Nibbāna), as reaches the self-controlled person riding on his thoroughly tamed self.
Verse 4
324. The elephant named Dhanapāla, dripping with pungent temporal rut and hard to restrain, captive in chains touches not a morsel of food; he longs for the elephant grove and remembers his mother.
Verse 5
325. When one is sluggish, gluttonous, slumber-loving, rolling about as he sleeps like a great grain-fed hog—that dull-witted fool enters a womb again and again.
Verse 6
326. Formerly this mind wandered about as it pleased, wherever it liked, as desire listed. Today I shall master it thoroughly with wise mindfulness, as a mahout with an ankusa (hook) controls an elephant in rut.
Verse 7
327. Delight in diligence, guard your own mind! Extricate yourself from the treacherous bog of passion, like an elephant sunk in mud pulls itself out onto dry land.
Verse 8
328. If you find an intelligent companion, a wise and noble friend who walks with you living a righteous life—overcoming all perils, walk with him delighted and mindful.
Verse 9
329. But if you do not find an intelligent companion, a wise and noble friend who walks with you living a righteous life—then walk alone, like a king renouncing a conquered kingdom, or like the Matanga elephant roaming solitary in the forest.
Verse 10
330. Better it is to walk alone; there is no fellowship with a fool. Let one walk alone, committing no evil, untroubled and carefree like the Matanga elephant in the forest.
Verse 11
331. Pleasant are friends when need arises; pleasant is contentment with whatever happens to be; pleasant is merit at the end of life; but pleasant beyond all is the total abandonment of all suffering.
Verse 12
332. Pleasant in this world is reverence toward one's mother; pleasant likewise is reverence toward one's father. Pleasant in this world is service to recluses (samaṇas); pleasant likewise is service to holy Brahmins.
Verse 13
333. Pleasant is virtue lasting even into old age; pleasant is faith firmly established; pleasant is the acquisition of supreme wisdom; and pleasant is the refraining from all evils.
Verse 14
Background
This chapter belongs to the Pali Dhammapada (Khuddaka Nikaya, Pali Canon), Nāga Vagga, verses 320–333. Delivered across Kosambī and Sāvatthi, this chapter reflects historical events of great spiritual fortitude. Verses 320–322 were spoken in Kosambī when Queen Māgandiyā, harboring deep malice against the Buddha, hired drunkards and ruffians to follow the Buddha through the streets hurling abusive curses. Venerable Ānanda urged the Buddha to flee to another city, but the Blessed One calmly declared that an Awakened One endures abuse just as a royal bull elephant endures arrows in the heat of battle. Verses 328–330 were uttered during the Buddha's famous retreat into the Pārileyyaka forest, where he lived in solitary peace attended only by an elephant who had likewise abandoned the turbulent herd.
About this Text
Composed by: Gautama Buddha · Founder of Buddhism · c. 5th–6th century BCE, Northern India/Nepal
Born Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini, he attained enlightenment and spent the rest of his life teaching the Dhamma across northern India. His discourses (Suttas), preserved orally for generations before being written down in the Pali Canon, form the doctrinal foundation of Buddhism.
Did You Know?
Enduring Arrows of Abuse (Verse 320)
Like an elephant on the battlefield enduring arrows shot from bows, so shall I patiently endure abusive words; for indeed, the multitude of this world is ill-behaved.
Self-Tamed is Supreme (Verses 321–323)
Trained mules are noble, noble are thoroughbred Sindhi steeds, and noble are the great tusked elephants; but far nobler than all of these is the person who has thoroughly tamed himself.
Subduing the Wild Mind (Verse 326)
Formerly this mind wandered wherever it wished, as desire liked, as pleasure inclined; today I shall systematically hold it in check with thorough attention, just as a mahout with a goad controls a rutting elephant.
Better to Walk Alone (Verses 328–330)
If you find a wise, noble companion walking the good life, walk with him happily overcoming all dangers. But if you find no such companion, walk alone like a king renouncing a conquered realm, or like the solitary Matanga elephant roaming the forest. There is no fellowship with a fool; better it is to walk alone doing no evil.
The Fourfold Sweet Joy (Verses 331–333)
Pleasant are friends when need arises; pleasant is contentment with whatever is at hand; pleasant is merit at the close of life; but the complete relinquishment of all suffering is the supreme bliss.
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