[68] "Yes, venerable sir," the householder Upāli replied in assent to the Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta; and rising from his seat, having paid homage to the Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta and circumambulated him with his right side towards him, he went to Pāvārika's Mango Grove, to where the Blessed One was. Having approached, he paid homage to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, the householder Upāli said to the Blessed One: "Venerable sir, did the Nigaṇṭha Dīgha Tapassī come here?"
"The Nigaṇṭha Dīgha Tapassī did come here, householder."
"Venerable sir, did you have any conversation at all with the Nigaṇṭha Dīgha Tapassī?"
"I did have some conversation with the Nigaṇṭha Dīgha Tapassī, householder."
"Venerable sir, how did your conversation with the Nigaṇṭha Dīgha Tapassī go?"
Then the Blessed One related to the householder Upāli the entire conversation he had had with the Nigaṇṭha Dīgha Tapassī. When this was said, the householder Upāli said to the Blessed One: "Good, good, venerable sir! Dīgha Tapassī has answered the Blessed One just as a learned disciple who rightly understands the Teacher's dispensation would answer. For what does the wretched mental rod (manodaṇḍa) count for when set beside this bodily rod (kāyadaṇḍa), so gross as it is? Rather, it is the bodily rod alone that is the more greatly blameworthy for the doing of evil action, for the carrying out of evil action — not so the verbal rod (vacīdaṇḍa), not so the mental rod."
"Householder, if you will confer standing firm upon the truth, we might have some conversation here on this matter."
"Venerable sir, I will confer standing firm upon the truth; let us have some conversation here on this matter."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.