[130] Now at that time the Venerable Upavāṇa was standing in front of the Blessed One, fanning the Blessed One. Then the Blessed One dismissed the Venerable Upavāṇa: "Move aside, bhikkhu; do not stand in front of me." Then it occurred to the Venerable Ānanda: "This Venerable Upavāṇa has for a long time been the Blessed One's attendant, keeping near him, moving close by him; and yet at the final hour the Blessed One dismisses the Venerable Upavāṇa, saying, 'Move aside, bhikkhu; do not stand in front of me.' What now is the cause, what is the reason, that the Blessed One dismisses the Venerable Upavāṇa, saying, 'Move aside, bhikkhu; do not stand in front of me'?" Then the Venerable Ānanda said to the Blessed One: "Venerable sir, this Venerable Upavāṇa has for a long time been the Blessed One's attendant, keeping near him, moving close by him; and yet at the final hour the Blessed One dismisses the Venerable Upavāṇa, saying, 'Move aside, bhikkhu; do not stand in front of me.' What now, venerable sir, is the cause, what is the reason, that the Blessed One dismisses the Venerable Upavāṇa, saying, 'Move aside, bhikkhu; do not stand in front of me'?"
"For the most part, Ānanda, the deities in the ten world-systems (dasa lokadhātuyo) have assembled to see the Tathāgata. For twelve yojanas all around Kusinārā and the Upavattana sāla grove of the Mallas, there is no spot even so much as could be pricked by the point of a hair-tip that is not pervaded by deities of great might. The deities, Ānanda, are complaining: 'We have come from afar to see the Tathāgata. Only at some time, only on some occasion, does a Tathāgata, an Arahant, a Perfectly Awakened One, arise in the world; and this very day, in the last watch of the night, the final Nibbāna (parinibbāna) of the Tathāgata will take place. Yet this bhikkhu of great might stands in front of the Blessed One, obstructing him, and we do not get to see the Tathāgata at the final hour.'"
"But, venerable sir, of what sort are the deities that the Blessed One has in mind?"
"There are, Ānanda, deities in the sky who perceive it as earth: they weep with dishevelled hair, they weep with arms upraised; they fall down as though their feet were cut off; they roll back and forth, crying: 'Too soon will the Blessed One attain final Nibbāna! Too soon will the Sugata attain final Nibbāna! Too soon will the One with Vision vanish from the world!' There are, Ānanda, deities on the earth who perceive it as earth: they weep with dishevelled hair, they weep with arms upraised; they fall down as though their feet were cut off; they roll back and forth, crying: 'Too soon will the Blessed One attain final Nibbāna! Too soon will the Sugata attain final Nibbāna! Too soon will the One with Vision vanish from the world!' But those deities who are free from lust endure it, mindful and clearly comprehending, reflecting: 'Conditioned things (saṅkhārā) are impermanent; how, then, could it be obtained here that they should not pass away?'"
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.