Tena kho pana samayena nandopanandassa nāgarājassa evarūpaṃ pāpakaṃ diṭṭhigataṃ uppannaṃ hoti "ime hi nāma muṇḍasamaṇakā amhākaṃ uparibhavanena devānaṃ tāvatiṃsānaṃ bhavanaṃ pavisantipi nikkhamantipi, na dāni ito paṭṭhāya imesaṃ amhākaṃ matthake pādapaṃsuṃ okirantānaṃ gantuṃ dassāmī"ti uṭṭhāya sinerupādaṃ gantvā taṃ attabhāvaṃ vijahitvā sineruṃ sattakkhattuṃ bhogehi parikkhipitvā upari phaṇaṃ katvā tāvatiṃsabhavanaṃ avakujjena phaṇena pariggahetvā adassanaṃ gamesi.

Atha kho āyasmā raṭṭhapālo bhagavantaṃ etadavoca "pubbe bhante imasmiṃ padese ṭhito sineruṃ passāmi, sineruparibhaṇḍaṃ passāmi, tāvatiṃsaṃ passāmi. Vejayantaṃ passāmi, vejayantassa pāsādassa uparidhajaṃ passāmi. Ko nu kho bhante Hetu, ko paccayo, yaṃ etarahi neva sineruṃ passāmi .pe. Na vejayantassa pāsādassa uparidhajaṃ passāmī"ti. Ayaṃ raṭṭhapāla nandopanando nāma nāgarājā tumhākaṃ kupito sineruṃ sattakkhattuṃ bhogehi parikkhipitvā upari phaṇena paṭicchādetvā andhakāraṃ katvā ṭhitoti. Damemi naṃ bhanteti. Na bhagavā naṃ anujāni. Atha kho āyasmā bhaddiyo, āyasmā rāhuloti anukkamena sabbepi bhikkhū uṭṭhahiṃsu. Na bhagavā anujāni.

Avasāne mahāmoggallānatthero "ahaṃ bhante damemi nan"ti āha. "damehi moggallānā"ti bhagavā anujāni. Thero attabhāvaṃ vijahitvā mahantaṃ nāgarājavaṇṇaṃ abhinimminitvā nandopanandaṃ cuddasakkhattuṃ bhogehi parikkhipitvā tassa phaṇamatthake attano phaṇaṃ ṭhapetvā sinerunā saddhiṃ abhinippīḷesi. Nāgarājā dhūmāyi. Theropi "na tuyhaṃyeva sarīre dhūmo atthi, mayhampi atthīti dhūmāyi. Nāgarājassa dhūmo theraṃ na bādhati, therassa pana dhūmo nāgarājaṃ bādhati. Tato nāgarājā pajjali, theropi "na tuyhaṃyeva sarīre aggi atthi, mayhampi atthī"ti pajjali. Nāgarājassa tejo theraṃ na bādhati, therassa pana tejo nāgarājānaṃ bādhati. Nāgarājā "ayaṃ maṃ sinerunā abhinippīḷetvā dhūmāyati ceva pajjalati cā"ti cintetvā "bho tuvaṃ kosī"ti paṭipucchi. Ahaṃ kho nanda moggallānoti. Bhante attano bhikkhubhāvena tiṭṭhāhīti.