At Sāvatthi.
While seated to one side, King Pasenadi of Kosala said to the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, is there anyone born that is free from aging and death?”
“For one who is born, great king, there is no escape from aging and death. Even in the case of |wealthy men of the royal caste::wealthy family of noblemen [khattiyamahāsālā]|—rich, with great wealth and property, with abundant gold and silver, abundant treasures and commodities, abundant wealth and grain—for them too, having been born, there is no escape from aging and death.
Even in the case of wealthy men of the Brahmin caste—rich, with great wealth and property, with abundant gold and silver, abundant treasures and commodities, abundant wealth and grain—for them too, having been born, there is no escape from aging and death.
Even in the case of wealthy men of the householder class—rich, with great wealth and property, with abundant gold and silver, abundant treasures and commodities, abundant wealth and grain—for them too, having been born, there is no escape from aging and death.
Even in the case of bhikkhus, great king, who are |arahants::the worthy ones, an epithet of a fully awakened being [arahant]|, |whose mental defilements have ended::one who has awakened through the complete exhaustion of the mental effluents, taints [khīṇāsava]|, who have lived the spiritual life to its fulfillment, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, attained the ultimate goal, |who have exhausted the fetters of existence::one who has worn away the bonds of being [parikkhīṇabhavasaṃyojana]|, and |who are freed through complete comprehension::one who is liberated by perfect understanding, epithet of an Arahant [sammadaññāvimutta]|—even for them, this body is subject to breaking up, and subject to being cast down.”
The Blessed One said this. Having spoken thus, the Well-Gone One further said this:
“The well adorned chariots of kings wear out,
this body too undergoes decay;
But the Dhamma of the virtuous ones does not decay—
So the peaceful ones make it known to the noble.”