[678] "Bhikkhus, once in the past there was a great lake in a forest region, and bull elephants (nāgā) dwelt in dependence on it. Plunging into that lake, they would pull up lotus stalks and fibers with their trunks, and having washed them thoroughly, they would chew them free of mud and swallow them. That conduced both to their beauty and to their strength, and on that account they did not meet with death or deadly suffering (dukkha).
"But the young calves, imitating those great bull elephants, plunged into that lake and pulled up lotus stalks and fibers with their trunks; yet, not having washed them thoroughly, they swallowed them, mud and all, without chewing. That conduced neither to their beauty nor to their strength, and on that account they met with death or deadly suffering."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.