[435] On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, at the Squirrels' Feeding Ground (Veḷuvana Kalandakanivāpa).
Then a certain brahmin approached the Blessed One; having approached, he exchanged greetings with the Blessed One, and when the courteous and memorable talk was concluded, he sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, that brahmin said this to the Blessed One: "How many eons (kappa), Master Gotama, have passed by and gone?"
"Many, brahmin, are the eons that have passed by and gone. It is not easy to reckon them thus: 'So many eons,' or 'So many hundreds of eons,' or 'So many thousands of eons,' or 'So many hundreds of thousands of eons.'"
"But is it possible, Master Gotama, to make a simile?"
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.