1.
For those who stand in the middle of the water,'--so said the venerable Kappa,--'in the formidable stream that has set in, for those who are overcome by decay and death, tell me of an island, O venerable man, and tell thou me of an island that this (pain) may not again come on.'

2.
'For those who stand in the middle of the water, O Kappa,'--so said Bhagavat,--'in the formidable stream that has set in, for those overcome by decay and death, I will tell thee of an island, O Kappa.'

3.
'This matchless island, possessing nothing (and) grasping after nothing, I call Nibbâna, the destruction of decay and death.

4.
'Those who, having understood this, are thoughtful (and) calm, because they have seen the Dhamma, do not fall into the power of Mâra, and are not the companions of Mâra.'