Bhashya
ते प्रजापतिप्राणाः, मुख्येन प्राणेन परिप्रापितदेवस्वरूपाः,ह ऊचुः उक्तवन्तः; फलावस्थाः; किमित्याह-- क न्वितिवितर्के; क नु कस्मिन्नु, सोऽभूत्; कः? यो नोऽस्मान्,इत्थम् एवम्, असक्त सञ्जितवान् देवभावमात्मत्वेनोपगमित-वान् ।स्मरन्ति हि लोके केनचिदुपकृता उपकारिणम् ;लोकवदेव स्मरन्तो विचार्यमाणाः कार्यकारणसंघाते आत्म-न्येवोपलब्धवन्तः ; कथम् ? अयमास्येऽन्तरिति— आस्येमुखे य आकाशस्तस्मिन् , अन्तः, अयं प्रत्यक्षो वर्तत इति ।सर्वो हि लोको विचार्याध्यवस्यति ; तथा देवाः ।यस्मा-दयमन्तराकाशे वागाद्यात्मत्वेन विशेषमनाश्रित्य वर्तमानउपलब्धो देवैः, तस्मात्— स प्राणोऽयास्यः ; विशेषाना-श्रयत्वाच्च असक्त सञ्जितवान्वागादीन् ; अत एवाङ्गिरसःआत्मा कार्यकारणानाम् ; कथमाङ्गिरसः ? प्रसिद्धं ह्येतत् ,अङ्गानां कार्यकारणलक्षणानाम् , रसः सार आत्मेत्यर्थः ;कथं पुनरङ्गरसत्वम् ? तदपाये शोषप्राप्तेरिति वक्ष्यामः ।यस्माच्चायमङ्गरसत्वाद्विशेषानाश्रयत्वाच्च कार्यकारणानां सा-धारण आत्मा विशुद्धश्च, तस्माद्वागादीनपास्य प्राण एवा-त्मत्वेनाश्रयितव्य इति वाक्यार्थः ।आत्मा ह्यात्मत्वेनोपग-न्तव्यः ; अविपरीतबोधाच्छ्रेयःप्राप्तेः, विपर्यये चानिष्टप्राप्ति-दर्शनात् ॥
In plain words
Those divine breaths, restored to their true nature by the chief prāṇa, spoke as they attained their fulfilled state. What did they say? 'Where did he go?'—expressing wonder. Who was it that sustained us so, elevating us to divine status? Just as people in the world remember a benefactor, the deities reflected and discovered the breath within their own body-mind complex. How? 'He is within the mouth'—manifestly present in the oral space. Just as anyone in the world arrives at a conclusion through reflection, so did the deities. Because this breath was found existing within the inner space without being restricted to any single organ, he is Ayāsya. And because he connects the organs without depending on particular limitations, he is Āṅgirasa—the very essence of the limbs. How is he the essence? We shall explain later how the body withers when he departs. Therefore, recognizing that this pure prāṇa is the common Self of all faculties, transcending particular limitations, the final teaching is that one must abandon identification with the lesser organs and take refuge in prāṇa alone as the Self. For the Self must be realized as such, since correct knowledge leads to the highest good, while error leads to undesired bondage.
Close to the Sanskrit
Those breaths of Prajāpati, having had their divine nature fully restored by the chief breath, indeed spoke; in the state of results; what does he say? 'Kanu' in conjecture: Where, in what, did he become? Who? He who thus attached us in this manner, having elevated us to divine status. People in the world remember a benefactor; remembering just like in the world, reflecting, they found him within the aggregate of cause and effect in the Self itself; how? 'This one is within the mouth'—within the space that is in the mouth, this one exists manifestly. Everyone in the world, having reflected, determines; and so do the deities. Since this one was found by the deities existing in the inner space as the nature of speech and others without depending on particulars, therefore—that breath is Ayāsya; and because of not depending on particulars, having connected speech and others; hence indeed Āṅgirasa, the Self of causes and effects; how Āṅgirasa? This is well known, the essence of limbs characterized as causes and effect is the Self; how again is it the limb-essence? We shall explain later because of the occurrence of withering upon its departure. And since this common and pure Self of causes and effects is from being the limb-essence and from not depending on particulars, therefore leaving aside speech and others, prāṇa alone is to be resorted to as the Self, is the sentence meaning. The Self indeed ought to be approached as the Self; because of the attainment of the highest good from correct knowledge, and because of seeing the attainment of undesirable results in error.