Dighanikaya 24.8

24.8

Ekadvīhikāyāti ekaṃ dveti vatvā gaṇesi. Yathā tanti yathā asaddahamāno koci gaṇeyya, evaṃ gaṇesi. Ekadivasañca tikkhattuṃ upasaṅkamitvā eko divaso atīto, dve divasā atītāti ārocesi. Sattamaṃ divasanti so kira sunakkhattassa vacanaṃ sutvā sattāhaṃ nirāhārova ahosi. Athassa sattame divase eko upaṭṭhāko ‘‘amhākaṃ kulūpakasamaṇassa ajja sattamo divaso gehaṃ anāgacchantassa aphāsu nu kho jāta’’nti sūkaramaṃsaṃ pacāpetvā bhattamādāya gantvā purato bhūmiyaṃ nikkhipi. Acelo disvā cintesi ‘‘samaṇassa gotamassa kathā tacchā vā atacchā vā hotu, āhāraṃ pana khāditvā suhitassa me maraṇampi sumaraṇa’’nti dve hatthe jaṇṇukāni ca bhūmiyaṃ ṭhapetvā kucchipūraṃ bhuñji. So rattibhāge jīrāpetuṃ asakkonto alasakena kālamakāsi. Sacepi hi so ‘‘na bhuñjeyya’’nti cinteyya, tathāpi taṃ divasaṃ bhuñjitvā alasakena kālaṃ kareyya. Advejjhavacanā hi tathāgatāti.

“By ones and twos”: he counted, saying, “One, two.” “As that”: he counted as someone disbelieving would count. And approaching three times in a single day, he announced: “One day has passed; two days have passed.” “On the seventh day”: hearing the words of Sunakkhatta, he remained entirely without food for seven days. Then on the seventh day, an attendant of his thought: “Today is the seventh day that our family-attendant ascetic has not come home; could he have fallen ill?” Having pork cooked and taking food, he went and placed it on the ground before him. Seeing it, the naked ascetic thought: “Whether the word of the ascetic Gotama is true or false, once I have eaten food and am well satisfied, even death would be a good death for me!” Having placed his two hands and knees on the ground, he ate to the fill of his belly. Being unable to digest it in the night, he died of indigestion. For even if he had thought, “I will not eat,” still, having eaten on that day, he would have died of indigestion. For the Tathāgatas never speak falsely.