[65] Now on that occasion the Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta was seated together with a large assembly of householders of Bālaka (bālakiniyā), headed by Upāli. The Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta saw the Nigaṇṭha Dīghatapassī coming in the distance, and having seen him, he said to the Nigaṇṭha Dīghatapassī: "Well now, Tapassī, where are you coming from in the middle of the day?"
"Venerable sir, I am coming from right here — from the presence of the ascetic Gotama."
"But, Tapassī, did you have some conversation with the ascetic Gotama?"
"Venerable sir, I did have some conversation with the ascetic Gotama."
"But in what way, Tapassī, did your conversation with the ascetic Gotama go?"
Then the Nigaṇṭha Dīghatapassī related to the Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta the entire conversation he had had with the Blessed One. When this was said, the Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta said to the Nigaṇṭha Dīghatapassī: "Good, good, Tapassī! The Nigaṇṭha Dīghatapassī has answered the ascetic Gotama just as a learned disciple would who rightly understands the Teacher's teaching. For what does the wretched mental rod (manodaṇḍa) count for when set beside this bodily rod (kāyadaṇḍa), so gross? Rather, it is the bodily rod alone that is the more greatly blameworthy for the doing of evil action (pāpakamma), for the carrying out of evil action; not so the verbal rod (vacīdaṇḍa), not so the mental rod."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.