[374] "Vāseṭṭha, suppose a man were to say: 'Whoever is the finest lady of the land (janapadakalyāṇī) in this country, it is she that I wish for, she that I desire.' They would say to him: 'Good man, that finest lady of the land whom you wish for and desire—do you know whether she is a khattiya woman, a brahmin woman, a vessa woman, or a sudda woman?' Asked thus, he would say: 'No.' They would say to him: 'Good man, that finest lady of the land whom you wish for and desire—do you know her name or her clan; whether she is tall, short, or of medium height; whether she is dark, brown, or golden-skinned; or in which village, town, or city she dwells?' Asked thus, he would say: 'No.' They would say to him: 'Good man, do you then wish for and desire one whom you neither know nor have ever seen?' Asked thus, he would say: 'Yes.'
"What do you think, Vāseṭṭha? This being so, does not that man's statement turn out to be without demonstrable basis (appāṭihīrakata)?"
"Certainly, worthy Gotama, this being so, that man's statement turns out to be without demonstrable basis."
"In the same way, Vāseṭṭha, it seems that the Divinity (Brahmā) has not been seen face to face by the brahmins versed in the three Vedas …"
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.