[564] "Furthermore, venerable sir, I walk and wander from monastery to monastery and from park to park. There I see some ascetics and brahmins who are thin, wretched, of bad complexion, grown sallow and jaundiced, the veins standing out all over their limbs — hardly, one would think, binding people's eyes so that they wish to look upon them. Venerable sir, it occurred to me: 'Surely these venerable ones either lead the holy life (brahmacariya) without delight, or there is some evil deed done by them and concealed; that is why these venerable ones are thin, wretched, of bad complexion, grown sallow and jaundiced, the veins standing out all over their limbs — hardly, one would think, binding people's eyes so that they wish to look upon them.' Having approached them, I say this: 'Why is it, venerable ones, that you are thin, wretched, of bad complexion, grown sallow and jaundiced, the veins standing out all over your limbs — hardly, one would think, binding people's eyes so that they wish to look upon you?' They said this: 'We have jaundice (bandhukaroga), great king.'
"But here, venerable sir, I see bhikkhus (bhikkhū) smiling and cheerful, exultant and elated, plainly delighting, their faculties (indriya) fresh and satisfied, living at ease, unruffled, subsisting on what others give, dwelling with a mind become like a wild deer's. Venerable sir, it occurred to me: 'Surely these venerable ones know some lofty, successively higher distinction in that Blessed One's dispensation; that is why these venerable ones are smiling and cheerful, exultant and elated, plainly delighting, their faculties fresh and satisfied, living at ease, unruffled, subsisting on what others give, dwelling with a mind become like a wild deer's.' This too, venerable sir, is for me an inference according to the Dhamma (dhammanvaya) regarding the Blessed One: 'The Blessed One is fully self-awakened; the Dhamma is well proclaimed by the Blessed One; the Saṅgha of the Blessed One's disciples is practising well.'"
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.