Dhammapada verse 320
Chapter 23, Elephants (Nāgavagga) · verses 320–333
“Like an elephant struck with arrows in battle, I shall endure abuse, for so many folk are badly behaved.”
Ahaṁ nāgova saṅgāme, cāpato patitaṁ saraṁ; Ativākyaṁ titikkhissaṁ, dussīlo hi bahujjano.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 320 mean?
Verse 320 belongs to chapter 23, Elephants (Nāgavagga), which gathers verses 320–333 on the elephant, and companionship. It is filed under no theme. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 319 and verse 321 are part of the same passage.
Fourteen verses that use the elephant as their figure — the elephant in battle, the untamed elephant, the elephant that carries its own load. It is also the chapter about companionship: it contains the verses on finding an alert friend to travel with and on walking alone when no such friend can be found.