[578] "Venerable sir, there are these four classes (vaṇṇa): khattiyas, brāhmaṇas, vessas, and suddas. If those four classes were endowed with these five factors of striving (padhāniyaṅga), would there be, venerable sir, any distinction among them here, any difference?"
"Here, great king, I speak of a difference among them in striving (padhāna). Suppose, great king, there were two tamable elephants, or tamable horses, or tamable oxen that were well tamed, well trained, and two tamable elephants, or tamable horses, or tamable oxen that were untamed, untrained. What do you think, great king? Would those two tamable elephants, or tamable horses, or tamable oxen that were well tamed, well trained—would they, being tamed, take on the behavior of the tamed; would they, being tamed, arrive at the grade of the tamed?"
"So it is, venerable sir."
"But those two tamable elephants, or tamable horses, or tamable oxen that were untamed, untrained—would they, being untamed, take on the behavior of the tamed; would they, being untamed, arrive at the grade of the tamed, just like those two tamable elephants, or tamable horses, or tamable oxen that were well tamed, well trained?"
"Certainly not, venerable sir."
"Even so, great king, that which is to be attained by one who has faith, who has little illness, who is honest and undeceitful, whose energy (vīriya) is aroused, and who is wise—that this should be attained by one without faith, with much illness, dishonest, deceitful, lazy, and of poor wisdom: such a thing is not possible."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.