[329] He was dwelling at Sāvatthī … There the Blessed One … said: "Bhikkhus, suppose the Himavant, the king of mountains, were to come to destruction and exhaustion, except for seven pebbles of stone the size of mustard seeds. What do you think, bhikkhus, which is more: that portion of the Himavant, the king of mountains, that has been destroyed and exhausted, or the seven pebbles of stone the size of mustard seeds that remain?"
"Venerable sir, that portion of the Himavant, the king of mountains, that has been destroyed and exhausted is more; the seven pebbles of stone the size of mustard seeds that remain are trifling. Compared with the portion of the Himavant, the king of mountains, that has been destroyed and exhausted, the seven pebbles of stone the size of mustard seeds that remain do not amount to a hundredth part, do not amount to a thousandth part, do not amount to a hundred-thousandth part."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.