[156] Now at that time four Malla chieftains, having bathed their heads and clothed themselves in new garments, thinking, "We shall set alight the funeral pyre of the Blessed One," were unable to set it alight. Then the Mallas of Kusinārā said to the Venerable Anuruddha: "What, Venerable Anuruddha, is the cause, what is the reason, that these four Malla chieftains, having bathed their heads and clothed themselves in new garments, thinking, 'We shall set alight the funeral pyre of the Blessed One,' are unable to set it alight?"
"The intention of the deities, Vāseṭṭhas, is otherwise."
"But what, venerable sir, is the intention of the deities?"
"This, Vāseṭṭhas, is the intention of the deities: 'This Venerable Mahākassapa is journeying along the highroad from Pāvā to Kusinārā together with a great Saṅgha of bhikkhus, some five hundred bhikkhus. The funeral pyre of the Blessed One shall not blaze up until the Venerable Mahākassapa has venerated the feet of the Blessed One with his own hands.'"
"Venerable sir, let it be according to the intention of the deities."
Then the Venerable Mahākassapa approached the Makuṭabandhana, the shrine of the Mallas in Kusinārā, and the funeral pyre of the Blessed One. Having approached, he arranged his robe over one shoulder, raised his joined palms in reverence, circumambulated the pyre three times keeping it to his right, uncovered the feet, and venerated the feet of the Blessed One with his head. Those five hundred bhikkhus also arranged their robes over one shoulder, raised their joined palms in reverence, circumambulated three times keeping the pyre to their right, and venerated the feet of the Blessed One with their heads. And when veneration had been made by the Venerable Mahākassapa and by those five hundred bhikkhus, the funeral pyre of the Blessed One blazed up of itself.
And as the body of the Blessed One burned, of whatever there had been of outer skin, inner skin, flesh, sinew, or fluid of the joints, neither ash nor soot was to be seen; only the relics (sarīrāni) remained. Just as when ghee or oil burns, neither ash nor soot is to be seen, even so, as the body of the Blessed One burned, of whatever there had been of outer skin, inner skin, flesh, sinew, or fluid of the joints, neither ash nor soot was to be seen; only the relics remained. And of those five hundred pairs of cloth, only two cloths were burned: the innermost and the outer.
And when the body of the Blessed One had been burned, a stream of water appeared from the sky and extinguished the funeral pyre of the Blessed One. Water welled up also from the sāla trees and extinguished the funeral pyre of the Blessed One. The Mallas of Kusinārā extinguished the funeral pyre of the Blessed One with water scented with every fragrance. Then the Mallas of Kusinārā, having made a lattice of spears in the council hall and surrounded it with a rampart of bows, honored, respected, revered, and worshipped the relics of the Blessed One for seven days with dances, songs, music, garlands, and perfumes.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.