Selected Verses from the Dhammapada
Translated by P. Lal...Chapter: The Elephant...page 151




I shall suffer hard words
as the elephant suffers arrows in battle.
People are people,
most of them ill-natured.

Only the tamed elephant goes into battle,
the king rides only a tamed elephant;
he who tames himself is best among men,
he suffers hard words patiently.

Tamed mules are excellent,
Sindhu horses of good breeding,excellent;
excellent are elephants of war.
Most excellent,however, is the self-tamer.


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