[413] "I inform you, great king; I declare to you, great king: aging and death are rolling in upon you, great king. And when aging and death are rolling in upon you, great king, what is there that should be done?"
"And when aging and death are rolling in upon me, venerable sir, what is there that should be done apart from living by the Dhamma (dhammacariyā), apart from living righteously (samacariyā), apart from doing wholesome deeds (kusalakiriyā), apart from making merit (puññakiriyā)? Venerable sir, as for those elephant battles that there are of kings — head-anointed khattiyas, drunk with the intoxication of sovereignty, obsessed by greed for sensual pleasures, who have attained stability in the realm and dwell having conquered a great circle of the earth — for those elephant battles too, venerable sir, there is no place, no scope, when aging and death are rolling in. And as for those cavalry battles that there are, venerable sir, of kings — head-anointed khattiyas … who [so] dwell — … there are chariot battles … there are infantry battles; for those infantry battles too, venerable sir, there is no place, no scope, when aging and death are rolling in. Moreover, venerable sir, in this royal court there are chief ministers skilled in counsel (mantino mahāmattā), who are able, when enemies have come, to divide them by counsel; yet for those battles of counsel too, venerable sir, there is no place, no scope, when aging and death are rolling in. Moreover, venerable sir, in this royal court there is found abundant bullion and gold (hiraññasuvaṇṇa), stored both underground and aloft, with which we are able, when enemies have come, to win them over with wealth; yet for those battles of wealth too, venerable sir, there is no place, no scope, when aging and death are rolling in. And when aging and death are rolling in upon me, venerable sir, what is there that should be done apart from living by the Dhamma, apart from living righteously, apart from doing wholesome deeds, apart from making merit?"
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.