[527] Sāvatthī. Sitting to one side, that bhikkhu said this to the Blessed One: "Venerable sir, what is the cause, what is the condition, whereby someone here, with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in the companionship of the spontaneously born (upapātika) nāgas?"
"Here, bhikkhu, someone acts in both ways (dvayakārī) with the body, acts in both ways with speech, acts in both ways with the mind. He has heard: 'The spontaneously born nāgas are long-lived, beautiful, and abound in happiness.' The thought occurs to him: 'Oh, that with the breakup of the body, after death, I might be reborn in the companionship of the spontaneously born nāgas!' With the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the companionship of the spontaneously born nāgas. This, bhikkhu, is the cause, this is the condition, whereby someone here, with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in the companionship of the spontaneously born nāgas."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.