1"Bhikkhus, once in the past, when Sakka, ruler of the devas, was guiding the Tāvatiṁsa devas, on that occasion he recited this verse:[n.388] Be treats this sentence as the beginning of AN3.38. Strangely, Be titles this "The Second on the Four Great Kings" even though the sutta makes no mention of them.

1"Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, sakko devānamindo deve tāvatiṁse anunayamāno tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi: 

2‘The person who would be like me
should observe the uposatha
complete in the eight factors,
on the fourteenth, fifteenth,
and eighth of the fortnight,
and during special fortnights.’

2‘Cātuddasiṁ pañcadasiṁ,
yā ca pakkhassa aṭṭhamī;
Pāṭihāriyapakkhañca,
aṭṭhaṅgasusamāgataṁ;
Uposathaṁ upavaseyya,
yopissa mādiso naro’ti.

3"This verse, bhikkhus, was badly recited by Sakka, ruler of the devas, not well recited. It was badly stated, not well stated. For what reason? Because Sakka, ruler of the devas, is not free from birth, old age and death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and anguish; he is not free from suffering, I say.

3Sā kho panesā, bhikkhave, sakkena devānamindena gāthā duggītā na sugītā dubbhāsitā na subhāsitā. Taṁ kissa hetu? Sakko hi, bhikkhave, devānamindo aparimutto jātiyā jarāya maraṇena sokehi paridevehi dukkhehi domanassehi upāyāsehi, aparimutto dukkhasmāti vadāmi.

4But in the case of a bhikkhu who is an arahant—one whose taints are destroyed … one completely liberated through final knowledge—it is fitting for him to say:

4Yo ca kho so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu arahaṁ khīṇāsavo vusitavā katakaraṇīyo ohitabhāro anuppattasadattho parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojano sammadaññāvimutto, tassa kho etaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno kallaṁ vacanāya: 

5‘The person who would be like me
should observe the uposatha
complete in the eight factors,
on the fourteenth, fifteenth,
and eighth of the fortnight,
and during special fortnights.’

5‘Cātuddasiṁ pañcadasiṁ,
yā ca pakkhassa aṭṭhamī;
Pāṭihāriyapakkhañca,
aṭṭhaṅgasusamāgataṁ;
Uposathaṁ upavaseyya,
yopissa mādiso naro’ti.

6"For what reason? Because that bhikkhu is free from birth, old age and death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and anguish; he is free from suffering, I say."

6Taṁ kissa hetu? So hi, bhikkhave, bhikkhu parimutto jātiyā jarāya maraṇena sokehi paridevehi dukkhehi domanassehi upāyāsehi, parimutto dukkhasmāti vadāmī"ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.