Bhashya
अथैतस्यैवार्थस्य प्रकाशकः एष श्लोको मन्त्रो भवति ।यतश्च यस्माद्वायोः उदेति उद्गच्छति सूर्यः, अध्यात्मं चचक्षुरात्मना प्राणात्- अस्तं च ' यत्र वायौ प्राणे चगच्छति अपरसंध्यासमये स्वापसमये च पुरुषस्य- तंदेवाः तं धर्मं देवाः चक्रिरे धृतवन्तः वागादयोऽग्न्याद-यश्च प्राणव्रतं वायुव्रतं च पुरा विचार्य ।स एव अद्यइदानीं श्वोऽपि भविष्यत्यपि काले अनुवर्त्यते अनुवर्ति-ष्यते च देवैरित्यभिप्रायः ।तत्रेमं मन्त्रं संक्षेपतो व्या-चष्टे ब्राह्मणम्- प्राणाद्वा एष सूर्य उदेति प्राणेऽस्तमेति ।तं देवाश्चक्रिरे धर्मं स एवाद्य स उ श्व इत्यस्य कोऽर्थ इत्यु-च्यते- यत् वै एते व्रतम् अमुर्हि अमुष्मिन्काले वागाद-योऽग्न्यादयश्च प्राणव्रतं वायुव्रतं च अध्रियन्त, तदेवाद्यापिकुर्वन्ति अनुवर्तन्ते अनुवर्तिष्यन्ते च ; व्रतं तयोरभग्नमेव ।यत्तु वागादिव्रतम् अग्न्यादिव्रतं च तद्भग्नमेव, तेषाम्अस्तमयकाले स्वापकाले च वायौ प्राणे च निम्लुक्तिदर्श-नात् ।अथैतदन्यत्रोक्तम्- 'यदा वै पुरुषः स्वपिति प्रा-णं तर्हि वागप्येति प्राणं मनः प्राणं चक्षुः प्राणं श्रोत्रंयदा प्रबुध्यते प्राणादेवाधि पुनर्जायन्त इत्यध्यात्ममथाधि-दैवतं यदा वा अग्निरनुगच्छति वायुं तर्ह्यनूद्वाति तस्मा-देनमुद्वासीदित्याहुर्वायुं ह्यनूद्वाति यदादित्योऽस्तमेति वा-युं तर्हि प्रविशति वायुं चन्द्रमा वायौ दिशः प्रतितिष्ठ-ता वायोरेवाधि पुनर्जायन्ते' इति ।यस्मात् एतदेव व्रतं वागादिषु अग्न्यादिषु च अनुगतं यदेतत् वायोश्च प्राणस्य च परिस्पन्दात्मकत्वं सर्वैः देवैरनुवर्त्यमानं व्रतम्- तस्मात् अन्योऽप्येकमेव व्रतं चरेत् ; किं तत्? प्राण्यात् प्राणन्व्यापारं कुर्यात् अपान्यात् अपाननव्यापारं च ; न हि प्राणापानव्यापारस्य प्राणनापाननलक्षणस्योपरमोऽस्ति ; तस्मात्तदेव एकं व्रतं चरेत् हित्वेन्द्रियान्तरव्यापारम्- नेत् मा मां पाप्मा मृत्युः श्रमरूपी आप्नुवत् आप्नुयात्- नेच्छब्दः परिभये- यद्यहमस्माद्व्रतात्प्रच्युतः स्याम्, ग्रस्त एवाहं मृत्युनेत्येवं त्रस्तो धारयेत्प्राणव्रतमित्यभिप्रायः ।यदि कदाचित् उ चरेत् प्रारभेत प्राणव्रतम्, समापिपयिषेत् समापयितुमिच्छेत् ; यदि हि अस्माद्व्रतादुपरमेत प्राणः परिभूतः स्यात् देवाश्च ; तस्मात्समापयेदेव ।तेन उ तेन अनेन व्रतेन प्राणात्मप्रतिपत्त्या सर्वभूतेषु- वागादयः अग्न्यादयश्च मदात्मका एव, अहं प्राण आत्मा सर्वपरिस्पन्दकृत् एवं तेनानेन व्रतधारणेन एतस्या एव प्राणदेवतायाः सायुज्यं सयुग्भावम् एकात्मत्वं सलोकतां समानलोकतां वा एकस्थानत्वम्- विज्ञानमान्द्यापेक्षमेतत्- जयति प्राप्नोतीति ॥
In plain words
Now a mantra illuminates this very meaning. 'From which wind the sun rises, and into which breath it returns at evening and in sleep—that law the gods established, having deliberated upon the breath-vows and wind-vows of speech, fire, and the other deities.' That vow continues today and will be followed by the gods tomorrow. The Brāhmaṇa explains this briefly: 'From breath the sun rises, and in breath it sets.' What does this mean? In ancient times, speech, fire, and the other deities maintained the breath-vow, and they continue to follow it today; their vow remains unbroken. But the vow of speech and fire alone is broken, because we observe them setting during sleep and twilight. As another text says: 'When a person sleeps, speech merges into breath, mind into breath, eye into breath, ear into breath; and when he wakes, they are born directly from breath.' This is within the body. In the cosmos, when fire sets, it enters the wind; when the sun sets, it enters the wind; the moon and the directions likewise originate from the wind. Because this very vow of breath and wind pervades all speech and fire, and is practiced by all deities, therefore any seeker should observe this single vow. What is it? To breathe in and breathe out. For there is never any cessation to the rhythm of respiration. Leaving aside the activities of other senses, one should practice this sole vow, fearing lest death as exhaustion should overtake him. Terrified of falling from this vow and being seized by death, a person should hold fast to the breath-vow. If one undertakes it, one must carry it through to completion, for if breath were defeated, all deities would be defeated; therefore one must complete it. Through this observance, realizing that all speech and fire are one with the breath-self—the inner self that moves the universe—one attains intimate union, oneness, and identity with this breath-divinity.
Close to the Sanskrit
Now an illuminating mantra of this very meaning is a verse. From which wind the sun rises, in the individual also in the form of the eye from breath, and to where it goes at evening and sleep time in wind and breath—that law the gods made, having deliberated upon the breath vow and wind vow, speech and other senses, and fire and other deities. That same [vow] today, tomorrow also will be followed by the gods, is the intent. The brāhmaṇa explains this mantra briefly: From breath indeed this sun rises, in breath it sets. That the gods made a law, that same today, that tomorrow—what is the meaning of this? It is said: indeed which these speech and fire and others maintained as the breath vow and wind vow at that time, that they do even today, follow, and will follow; the vow of those two is unbroken. But the vow of speech and fire is broken indeed, because setting is observed in wind and breath at their setting and sleeping time. Now it is said elsewhere: when indeed a person sleeps, speech merges into breath, mind into breath, eye into breath, ear; when he awakens, they are born directly from breath—thus in the individual. Now in the cosmos, when fire follows wind, then it blows along upward, hence they say he dwelt out because it blows along upward; when the sun sets, it enters wind, the moon, the directions established securely, they are born exclusively from wind. Since this very vow in speech and others and in fire and others is followed, which is this nature of being pulsation of wind and breath, practiced by all deities—therefore any other person also should practice the sole vow: what is that? One should inhale, perform breathing activity, should exhale, perform exhalation activity; for there is no cessation of the breathing and exaling activity characterized by respiration; therefore one should practice that sole vow, leaving aside other sense activity, lest death in the form of fatigue should reach me—the word 'net' is in fear—if I were to be fallen from this vow, devoured by death indeed—thus terrified one should hold the breath vow, is the intent. If ever one should undertake the breath vow, one should desire to complete it; if indeed breath were to be overpowered, and the gods, from this vow, therefore one should complete it indeed. Through that very practice of the vow, through the realization of breath as self, in all beings—speech and fire and others are my essence alone, I am the breath, the self, the maker of all vibration—thus through that very vow-observance, of this very breath deity, one attains union, companionship, oneness of self, sameness of world, or single station—this is relative to lesser understanding—wins or attains.