大般涅槃經義記 9.135

9.135

先答第五何不先為善星說法。於中有二：一明如來隨化所宜，不得先為善星說法。二「如師子」下，明雖不先，心無增減。前中六番，皆先立喻反問迦葉，次迦葉答，後佛約之以顯所說。後中先喻，後合可知。

First, he answers the fifth: why did he not first preach the Dharma for Sunakṣatra? In this there are two parts: first, explaining that the Tathāgata follows what is suitable for conversion and could not preach the Dharma for Sunakṣatra first; second, from "Like a lion" onward, explaining that although he did not do so first, his mind experienced neither increase nor decrease. In the former part there are six iterations, each first setting up a metaphor to question Kāśyapa inversely, next Kāśyapa answers, and afterward the Buddha frames it to reveal what he taught. In the latter part, first the metaphor and then the application can be understood.