[1034]
Just as Varuṇa the nāga asked the sage (paṇḍita) a question,
so too the nāga maiden asked the sage a question.
Just as the steadfast sage (dhīra), when asked, gratified Varuṇa the nāga,
so too the steadfast sage, when asked, gratified the nāga maiden.
Knowing that both of them were pleased at heart —
the great serpent (mahoraga) and the nāga maiden —
the steadfast sage, unalarmed, unafraid, with no hair standing on end,
spoke thus to Varuṇa the nāga king:
"Do not be troubled, O nāga — here I am.
For whatever purpose you have need, here is this body:
do what must be done with its heart and with its flesh;
I shall myself act in accordance with your wish."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.