1At Sāvatthī.

Seated to one side, that mendicant said to the Buddha:

“Sir, what is the cause, what is the reason why some spontaneously-born dragons keep the sabbath, having transformed their bodies?”

(All should be told in full.)

1Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

“ko nu kho, bhante, hetu, ko paccayo, yena m’idhekacce opapātikā nāgā uposathaṁ upavasanti vossaṭṭhakāyā ca bhavantī”ti?

“Idha, bhikkhu, ekaccānaṁ opapātikānaṁ nāgānaṁ evaṁ hoti: ‘mayaṁ kho pubbe kāyena dvayakārino ahumha, vācāya dvayakārino, manasā dvayakārino. Te mayaṁ kāyena dvayakārino, vācāya dvayakārino, manasā dvayakārino, kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā opapātikānaṁ nāgānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapannā. Sacajja mayaṁ kāyena sucaritaṁ careyyāma, vācāya … manasā sucaritaṁ careyyāma, evaṁ mayaṁ kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjeyyāma. Handa mayaṁ etarahi kāyena sucaritaṁ carāma, vācāya … manasā sucaritaṁ carāmā’ti. Ayaṁ kho, bhikkhu, hetu, ayaṁ paccayo, yena m’idhekacce opapātikā nāgā uposathaṁ upavasanti vossaṭṭhakāyā ca bhavantī”ti.

Chaṭṭhaṁ.