The works of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya

Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣadbhāṣyam

Bhashya

Bhashya

कतमे ते त्रयो देवा इति; इम एव त्रयो लोका इति-पृथिवीमग्निं च एकीकृत्य एको देवः, अन्तरिक्षं वायुं चएकीकृत्य द्वितीयः, दिवमादित्यं च एकीकृत्य तृतीयः- तेएव त्रयो देवा इति ।एषु, हि यस्मात्, त्रिषु देवेषुसर्वे देवा अन्तर्भवन्ति, तेन एत एव देवास्त्रयः- इत्येष नै-रुक्तानां केषांचित्पक्षः ।कतमौ तौ द्वौ देवाविति- अन्नं

In plain words

‘And which are those three gods?’ ‘These three worlds themselves.’ Take earth and fire together as one god; take mid-space and wind together as the second; take the sky and the sun together as the third — these three, taken this way, are the three gods, because every single god without exception is folded into these three. That, at least, is how some of the old etymologists read it — one view among others. ‘And which are the two gods?’ ‘Food…’ — and here the page breaks off.

Close to the Sanskrit

'Which are those three gods?' — 'These very three worlds' — Having unified earth and fire, one god; having unified mid-space and wind, the second; having unified heaven and the sun, the third — these very [three] are the three gods. For since in these three gods all the gods are included, therefore these very [three] are the three gods — this is the position of some among the etymologists. 'Which are those two gods?' — 'Food [and breath...]' [the page breaks off here].