[751] "Then, Bhāradvāja, it occurred to me: 'Suppose I were to take food only little by little, a handful at a time — whether mung-bean soup, or horse-gram soup, or chickpea soup, or vetch soup.' So, Bhāradvāja, I took food only little by little, a handful at a time — whether mung-bean soup, or horse-gram soup, or chickpea soup, or vetch soup. As I took food only little by little, a handful at a time — whether mung-bean soup, or horse-gram soup, or chickpea soup, or vetch soup — my body reached a state of extreme emaciation. Because of that very taking of little food, my limbs great and small became like the jointed segments of the āsītika creeper or the kāḷa creeper. Because of that very taking of little food, my backside became like a camel's hoof. Because of that very taking of little food, my backbone stood out, projecting like a string of spindle-beads (vaṭṭanāvaḷī). Because of that very taking of little food, my ribs jutted out, broken and collapsed, like the rafters of a dilapidated hall, broken and collapsed. Because of that very taking of little food, the gleam of my eyes, sunk deep in their sockets, appeared like the gleam of water sunk deep down in a deep well. Because of that very taking of little food, the skin of my head, touched (by wind and sun), was shriveled and withered, just as a bitter gourd, cut while still green, is touched by wind and sun and becomes shriveled and withered. Then, Bhāradvāja, thinking 'I shall touch the skin of my belly,' it was my very backbone that I took hold of; thinking 'I shall touch my backbone,' it was the very skin of my belly that I took hold of — so far, Bhāradvāja, had the skin of my belly come to cling to my backbone, because of that very taking of little food. Then, Bhāradvāja, thinking 'I shall pass excrement or urine,' I fell face down right there, because of that very taking of little food. Then, Bhāradvāja, to ease this very body, I stroked my limbs with my hand; and as I stroked my limbs with my hand, the body-hairs, rotted at their roots, fell from my body, because of that very taking of little food. Moreover, Bhāradvāja, people, seeing me, said thus: 'The ascetic Gotama is black.' Some people said thus: 'The ascetic Gotama is not black; the ascetic Gotama is brown.' Some people said thus: 'The ascetic Gotama is neither black nor brown; the ascetic Gotama is sallow-skinned.' To such an extent, Bhāradvāja, had the pure, bright color of my skin been ruined, because of that very taking of little food."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.