Nāga Vagga of Dhammapada: Chapter on “The Elephant”
By Dr. Ari Ubeysekara
Introduction
Lord Gautama Buddha lived and preached in India during the sixth and fifth centuries BC. Throughout the ministry of forty five years from enlightenment at the age of thirty five to passing away at the age of eighty, Lord Gautama Buddha, through compassion for other beings, travelled from place to place mainly in North Eastern India, teaching the path out of suffering to a diverse range of people. Since the first Buddhist council that was held three months after the passing away of the Buddha, the Buddha’s teachings were categorised into the now well-known Pāli Canon consisting of the three baskets. The teaching of the Gautama Buddha which is believed to consist of around 84000 items is contained in the three baskets (tripitaka).
- Basket of the disciplinary rules for the monastic community (vinaya pitaka)
- Basket of the discourses (sutta pitaka)
- Basket of the Buddha’s higher teaching (abhidhamma pitaka)
The basket of the discourses (sutta pitaka) consists of:
- Collection of long discourses (dīgha nikāya)
- Collection of middle length discourses (majjhima nikāya)
- Collection of connected discourses (samyutta nikāya)
- Collection of numerical discourses (anguttara nikāya)
- Collection of minor discourses (khuddaka nikāya)
Collection of minor discourses (khuddaka nikāya) consist of 15 divisions of a variety of small discourses and others. The second division is the Dhammapada, the other divisions being Khuddaka pātha, udāna, itivuttaka, sutta nipātha, vimānavatthu, petavatthu, thera-gāthā, theri-gāthā, jātaka stories, niddesa, patisambhidā magga, apadāna, Buddhavamsa and cariya pitaka.
The Pāli word “Dhamma” seems to have several meanings such as the natural law, natural phenomena, objects of the mind, religious doctrines and specifically the Lord Gautama Buddha’s teachings. The word “Pada” means path, step, word or the foot. So, the word Dhammapada has been described as the “Path of Righteousness”. The Dhammapada containing a collection of the sayings of the Buddha in verse form, is one of the best known books in Buddhism familiar to almost all of the practising Buddhist disciples universally as well as to others who study the teachings of the Buddha.
Dhammapada contains 423 verses said by the Buddha in different contexts. Most of the verses have been taken from the discourses of the Buddha. It has been noted that more than two thirds of the verses are taken from the discourses contained in the two collections of the Buddha’s discourses known as the Samyutta Nikāya and Anguttara Nikāya. The 423 verses are divided into 26 chapters each with a particular heading. The twenty third chapter is named “Nāga vagga” meaning the chapter on “The Elephant”, which contains 14 verses said by the Buddha.
Content of Nāga vagga
- Ahaṁ nāgo va sañgā,
cāpāto patitaṁ saraṁ,
ativākyaṁ titikkhissaṁ,
dussīlo hi bahujjano.
Just as an elephant in the battlefield,
endures arrows shot from a bow,
so shall I endure abuse,
for many people in the world are unvirtuous. - Dantaṁ nayanti samitiṁ,
dantaṁ rajābhirūhati,
danto settho manussesu,
yotivākyaṁ titikkhati.
A tamed elephant is led to an assembly,
the king mounts only a tamed elephant,
among men a tamed person is best,
one who can endure abuse. - Varaṁassatarā dantā,
ājānīyā ca sindhavā,
kuñjarā ca mahānāgā,
attadanto tato varaṁ.
Noble are trained mules,
well bred horses from Sindh,
and large tusked elephants,
but, one who has tamed himself is nobler. - Na hi etehi yānehi,
gaccheyya agataṁ disaṁ,
yathattanā sudantena,
danto dantena gacchati.
Not even by these vehicles,
can one go to the place never been before,
but through thorough taming oneself,
one can reach that place. - Dhanapālako nāma kuñjaro,
katukabhedano dunnivārayo,
baddho kabalaṁ na bhuñjati,
sumarati nāgavanassa kuñjaro.
The elephant called Dhanapalaka,
in must and difficult to control,
does not eat delicious food when bound,
it longs for the elephant forest. - Middhī yadā hoti mahagghaso ca,
niddāyitā samparivattasāyī,
mahāvarāho va nivāpaputtho,
punappunaṁ gabbhamupeti mando.
When one is lazy and overeats,
sleepy and rolling on the bed,
like a well fed pig,
will be born again and again. - Idaṁ pure cittamacāri cārikaṁ,
yenicchakaṁ yatthakāmaṁ yathāsukhaṁ,
tadajjahaṁ niggahessāmi yoniso,
hatthippabhinnaṁ viya añkusaggaho.
Formerly this mind has wandered,
freely as it liked, as it pleased,
but today I shall control it wisely,
like a mahout would an elephant in must. - Appamādaratā hotha,
sacittam-anurakkhatha,
duggā uddharathattānaṁ,
pañke sannova kuñjaro.
Take delight in heedfulness,
guard your mind well,
pull yourself out of the evil way,
like an elephant sunk in the mud. - Sace labhetha nipakaṁ sahāyaṁ,
saddhiṁ caraṁ sādhu vihāri dhīraṁ,
abhibhuyya sabbāni parissayāni,
careyya tenattamano satīmā.
If you find a mature friend,
who is disciplined and wise,
you should live with him joyfully and mindfully,
overcoming all dangers. - No ce labhetha nipakaṁ sahāyaṁ,
saddhiṁ caraṁ sādhu vihāri dhīraṁ,
rājā va ratthaṁ vijitaṁ pahāya,
eko care mātañgaraññe va nāgo.
If you do not find a mature friend,
who is disciplined and wise,
like a king who gave up his kingdom,
one should live alone like a solitary elephant in the forest. - Ekassa caritaṁ seyyo,
natthi bāle sahāyatā,
eko care na ca pāpāni kayirā,
appossukko mātañgaraññeva nāgo.
Better it is to live alone,
than associating with a fool,
one should live alone, do no evil,
and carefree like a solitary elephant in the forest. - Atthamhi jātamhi sukhā sahāyā,
tutthī sukhā yā itarītarena,
puññaṁ sukhaṁ jīvitasañkhayamhi,
sabbassa dukkhassa sukhaṁ pahnaṁ.
Good to have friends when the need arises,
good to be content with what one has,
good to have merit at the time of death,
good to be rid of all suffering. - Sukhā matteyyatā loke,
atho petteyyatā sukhā,
sukhā sāmaññatā loke,
atho brahmaññatā sukhā.
In this world, it is good to tend the mother,
it is also good to tend the father,
it is good to tend the monks,
it is also good to tend the noble ones. - Sukhaṁ yāva jarā sīlaṁ,
sukhā saddhā patitthitā,
sukho paññāya patilābho,
pāpānaṁ akaranaṁ sukhaṁ.
Good to be virtuous till old age,
good to have unshakable faith,
good to gain wisdom,
good to do no evil.
References
- Narada Thera 2014, Dhammapada, Pali text and translation with stories in brief and notes, Buddhist Cultural Centre, Dehiwala, Sri Lanka.
- www.tipitaka.net › tipitaka › dhp
- https://www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net/Texts-and-Translations/Dhammapada/23-Elephant.htm
End.
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