The works of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya

Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣadbhāṣyam

Bhashya

Bhashya

संवादेन आदित्यब्रह्मणि प्रत्याख्यातेऽजातशत्रुणा चन्द्रम- सि ब्रह्मान्तरं प्रतिपेदे गार्ग्यः ।य एवासौ चन्द्रे मनसि च एकः पुरुषो भोक्ता कर्ता चेति पूर्ववद्विशेषणम् ।बृहन् महान् पाण्डरं शुक्लं वासो यस्य सोऽयं पाण्डरवासाः, अ- च्छरीरत्वात् चन्द्राभिमानिनः प्राणस्य, सोमो राजा चन्द्रः, यश्चान्नभूतोऽभिषूयते लतात्मको यज्ञे, तमेकीकृत्य एतमेवाहं ब्रह्मोपासे ; यथोक्तगुणं य उपास्ते तस्य अहरहः सुतः सो-मोऽभिषुतो भवति यज्ञे, प्रसुतः प्रकृष्टं सुतरां सुतो भवति विकारे- उभयविषयज्ञानुष्ठानसामर्थ्यं भवतीत्यर्थः ; अन्नं च अस्य न क्षीयते अन्नात्मकोपासकस्य ॥

In plain words

Once Ajātaśatru had dismissed the meditation on the sun as Brahman, Gārgya moved on to the moon. As before, the focus is upon the single person who functions as the agent and enjoyer within both the moon and the mind. 'Bṛhat' means great; 'pāṇḍaravāsāḥ' means one whose garment is white and bright, referring to the subtle, bodiless prāṇa that presides over the moon. Soma is the king, the moon, who as a plant is pressed as an offering in the sacrifice. Unifying all these aspects, I worship this very entity as Brahman. Whoever meditates upon him with these attributes has the soma pressed for him day by day in the sacrifice, and pressed in rich abundance. This means he gains the capacity to master both realms, and his food is never depleted.

Close to the Sanskrit

When the meditation on the sun as Brahman was refuted by Ajātaśatru, Gārgya turned to another Brahman in the moon. Just as before, the qualification is regarding the one person who is the enjoyer and doer in the moon and in the mind. Great, whose garment is white and bright, owing to the bodiless nature of the prāṇa identifying with the moon, Soma the king is the moon, and who as food is pressed as a creeper in the sacrifice—unifying these, I worship this one alone as Brahman. He who worships with the stated qualities, for him soma is pressed and extracted day by day in the sacrifice, and is pressed thoroughly and abundantly. The meaning is that the capacity for knowledge and practice regarding both domains arises, and food does not perish for this worshipper.