Dhammapada verse 332
Chapter 23, Elephants (Nāgavagga) · verses 320–333
“In this world it’s a blessing to serve one’s mother and one’s father. And it’s a blessing also to serve ascetics and brahmins.”
Sukhā matteyyatā loke, atho petteyyatā sukhā; Sukhā sāmaññatā loke, atho brahmaññatā sukhā.
English by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, via SuttaCentral)
What does Dhammapada verse 332 mean?
Verse 332 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 331 and verse 333 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