Part 2 - The Request made to the Bodhisatta Deva

[Reference: The Uproar announcing the Appearance of Buddha]

Five predicting Signs (pubba-nimittas) signalling The Approaching Death of Devas.

The Five Pubba-nimittas are:

(1) Withering of celestial flowers
(2) Dirtiness of celestial costumes and ornaments
(3) Sweating from armpits
(4) Deterioration of physical beauty
(5) Displeasure in living in celestial residences

(1) Withering of celestial flowers: That is to say drying of divine blossoms that have appeared as decorations since the day the beings are reborn as deities These flowers, that appear on their bodies simultaneously with their birth as devas, never wither during their life span but remain fresh throughout. The flowers begin to wither only when there are seven days left for them to live, according to human reckoning. (The flowers belonging to the Bodhisatta Deva Setaketu did not go dry even once throughout the length of his life of devas living in Tusitā abode, i.e., over the period of fifty-seven crores and six million years of terrestrial calculations. They started withering seven days of the humans before his passing away.)

(2) Dirtiness of celestial costumes and ornaments: As in the previous case, celestial costumes and ornaments never become dirty normally; only when it is seven days before the devas' death do they show terrible dirtiness.

(3) Sweating from armpits: In the celestial realm, unlike in the human abode, there is absolutely no such change of weather condition as intense heat or intense cold. Only seven days prior to death, beads of sweat come out and flow down from various parts of their bodies (especially from the armpits).

(4) Deterioration of physical beauty: Such signs of old age as missing teeth, greying hair, wrinkled skin and the like that also betray decaying states of physical beauty never happen to them. Female deities always remain to be sixteen-year old and male deities twenty-year old. Though they are perpetually tender and youthful with fresh, brilliant, beautifying colours, there sets in deterioration of the bodies, that have become weary and wretched as the time for their passing away is coming nearer.

(5) Displeasure in living in celestial residences: They never know unhappiness while living in celestial mansions throughout their divine lives. It is only when they are about to fall from their divine state that they lose delight and become displeased with life in divine residences.

Five Pubba-nimittas do not occur to Every Deity

Though the five pubba-nimittas occur to dying deities as has been said above, it should not be understood that they do so to each and every divine being. Just as in the human world such omens as the falling of a meteor, the quake of the earth, the eclipse of the moon or of the sun, and the like manifest with regard to great and powerful kings, ministers, etc. even so in the celestial world these pubba-nimittas happen only with reference to highly glorious male and female deities. They never occur to those deities of insignificant power.

As good or bad things predicted by the omens that occur in the human abode are understood only by learned interpreters, so the events, whether good or bad, forecast by those omens occurring in the celestial realm are comprehended by wise devas, not by unwise ones.

When the omens occur to deities of inconsiderable merit, they become greatly frightened, wondering: “Who knows where shall I be reborn?” Those of considerable merit do not feel so at all, knowing that “We shall enjoy further bliss in higher divine existences because of the merit that accrue from our act of generosity, from our observance of morality and from our practice of meditation.” (Exposition of the Mahāpadāna-Sutta, Sutta-Mahāvagga Aṭṭhakathā.)