The Dhammapada - Chapter 23 - The Elephant

The Dhammapada is the most well-known of all Buddhist texts. It is a collection of the sayings of the Buddha from his most famous discourses. Dhamma means law, discipline, righteousness, and truth. Pada means path, footstep, and foundation. Translated from Pali by F. Max Muller.

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Transcript

The Dhammapada,

Chapter 23 The Elephant Silently shall I endure abuse,

As the elephant in battle endures the arrow sent from the bow,

For the world is ill-natured.

They lead a tamed elephant to battle,

The king mounts a tamed elephant,

The tamed is the best among men,

He who silently endures abuse.

Mules are good,

If tamed,

And noble Sindhu horses,

And elephants with large tusks,

But he who tames himself is better still.

For with these animals does no man reach the untrodden country,

Nirvana,

Where a tamed man goes on a tamed animal,

On his own well-tamed self.

The elephant called Dhanapalaka,

His temples running with sap and difficult to hold,

Does not eat a morsel when bound.

The elephant longs for the elephant grove.

If a man becomes fat and a great eater,

If he is sleepy and rolls himself about,

That fool,

Like a hog fed on wash,

Is born again and again.

This mind of mine went formerly wandering about as it liked,

As it listed,

As it pleased,

But I shall now hold it thoroughly,

As the rider who holds the hook holds the furious elephant.

Be not thoughtless,

Watch your thoughts.

Draw yourself out of the evil way,

Like an elephant sunk in mud.

If a man find a prudent companion who walks with him,

Is wise and lived soberly,

He may walk with him,

Overcoming all dangers,

Happy but considerate.

If a man find no prudent companion who walks with him,

Is wise and lived soberly,

Let him walk alone,

Like a king who has left his conquered country behind,

Like an elephant in the forest.

It is better to live alone,

There is no companionship with a fool,

Let a man walk alone,

Let him commit no sin,

With few wishes,

Like an elephant in the forest.

If an occasion arises,

Friends are pleasant,

Enjoyment is pleasant,

Whatever be the cause,

A good work is pleasant in the hour of death,

The giving up of all grief is pleasant.

Pleasant in the world is the state of a mother,

Pleasant the state of a father,

Pleasant the state of a Samana,

Pleasant the state of a Brahmana.

Pleasant is virtue,

Lasting to old age,

Pleasant is a faith firmly rooted,

Pleasant is attainment of intelligence,

Pleasant is avoiding of sins.

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