Dhammapada verse 322
Chapter 23, Elephants (Nāgavagga) · verses 320–333
“Those who have tamed themselves are better than fine tamed mules, thoroughbreds from Sindh, or giant tuskers.”
Varamassatarā dantā, ājānīyā ca sindhavā; Kuñjarā ca mahānāgā, attadanto tato varaṁ.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 322 mean?
Verse 322 belongs to chapter 23, Elephants (Nāgavagga), which gathers verses 320–333 on the elephant, and companionship. It is filed under good & evil. Read it with the verses around it: the Dhammapada arranges chapters as short runs, not as isolated lines, so verse 321 and verse 323 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.
More verses on this