Dhammapada 14.4.p2

14.4.p2

Thero kira divāṭṭhāne nisinno cintesi – ‘‘satthārā sattannaṃ buddhānaṃ mātāpitaro āyuparicchedo bodhi sāvakasannipāto aggasāvakasannipāto aggasāvakaupaṭṭhākoti idaṃ sabbaṃ kathitaṃ, uposatho pana akathito, kiṃ nu kho tesampi ayameva uposatho, añño’’ti? So satthāraṃ upasaṅkamitvā tamatthaṃ pucchi. Yasmā pana tesaṃ buddhānaṃ kālabhedova ahosi, na kathābhedo. Vipassī sammāsambuddho hi sattame sattame saṃvacchare uposathaṃ akāsi. Ekadivasaṃ dinnovādoyeva hissa sattannaṃ saṃvaccharānaṃ alaṃ hoti. Sikhī ceva vessabhū ca chaṭṭhe chaṭṭhe saṃvacchare uposathaṃ kariṃsu, kakusandho koṇāgamano ca saṃvacchare saṃvacchare. Kassapadasabalo chaṭṭhe chaṭṭhe māse uposathaṃ akāsi. Ekadivasaṃ dinnovādo eva hissa channaṃ māsānaṃ alaṃ ahosi. Tasmā satthā tesaṃ imaṃ kālabhedaṃ ārocetvā ‘‘ovādagāthā pana nesaṃ imāyevā’’ti vatvā sabbesaṃ ekameva uposathaṃ āvi karonto imā gāthā abhāsi –

We are told that as the Elder sat in his day-quarters, he thought to himself, "The Teacher has described the mothers and fathers of the Seven Buddhas, their length of life, the tree under which they got Enlightenment, their company of disciples, their Chief Disciples, and their principal supporter. All this the Teacher has described. But he has said nothing about their mode of observance of Fast-day. Was their mode of observance of Fast-day the same as now, or was it different?" Accordingly he approached the Teacher and asked him about the matter.

Now in the case of these Buddhas, while there was a difference of time, there was no difference in the Stanzas they employed. The Supremely Enlightened Vipassī kept Fast-day every seven years, but the admonition he gave in one day sufficed for seven years. Sikhī and Vessabhū kept Fast-day every six years; Kakusandha and Koṇāgamana, every year; Kassapa, Possessor of the Ten Forces, kept Fast-day every six months, but the admonition of the latter sufficed for six months. For this reason the Teacher, after explaining to the Elder this difference of time, explained that their observance of Fast-day was the same in every case. "These are the very Stanzas they employed in giving admonition," said he, quoting the following Stanzas,