Bhashya
धिदैविकत्वेन परिणताः सन्तः इन्द्रादयो भवन्ति ; त एव तत्र होतारो द्युलोकाग्नौ ; ते च इह अग्निहोत्रस्य फलभोगाय अग्नि- होत्रं हुतवन्तः ; ते एव फलपरिणामकालेऽपि तत्फलभोक्तृ- त्वात् तत्र तत्र होतृत्वं प्रतिपद्यन्ते, तथा तथा विपरिणममाना देवशब्दवाच्याः सन्तः ।अत्र च यत् पयोद्रव्यम् अग्निहोत्र- कर्माश्रयभूतम् इह आहवनीये प्रक्षिप्तम् अग्निना भक्षितम् अदृष्टेन सूक्ष्मेण रूपेण विपरिणतम् सह कर्त्रा यजमानेन अमुं लोकम् धूमादिक्रमेण अन्तरिक्षम् अन्तरिक्षात् द्युलोकम् आविशति ; ताः सूक्ष्मा आपः आहुतिकार्यभूता अग्निहोत्रस- मवायिन्यः कर्तृसहिताः श्रद्धाशब्दवाच्याः सोमलोके कर्तुः शरीरान्तरारम्भाय द्युलोकं प्रविशन्त्यः हूयन्त इत्युच्यन्ते ; ताः तत्र द्युलोकं प्रविश्य सोममण्डले कर्तुः शरीरमारभन्ते ।तदेतदुच्यते— 'देवाः श्रद्धां जुह्वति, तस्या आहुत्यै सोमो राजा संभवति' इति, 'श्रद्धा वा आपः' इति श्रुतेः ।'वेत्थ यतिथ्यामाहुत्यां हुतायामापः पुरुषवाचो भूत्वा समु- त्थाय वदन्ति' इति प्रश्नः ; तस्य च निर्णयविषये 'असौ वै लोकोऽग्निः' इति प्रस्तुतम् ; तस्मात् आपः कर्मसमवायि- न्यः कर्तुः शरीरारम्भिकाः श्रद्धाशब्दवाच्या इति निश्ची- यते ।भूयस्त्वात् 'आपः पुरुषवाचः' इति व्यपदेशः, न तुइतराणि भूतानि न सन्तीति; कर्मप्रयुक्तश्च शरीरारम्भः; कर्म च अप्समवायि; ततश्च अपां प्राधान्यं शरीरकर्तृत्वे; तेन च ‘आपः पुरुषवाचः’ इति व्यपदेशः; कर्मकृतो हि जन्मारम्भः सर्वत्र ।तत्र यद्यपि अग्निहोत्राहुतिस्तुतिद्वारेण उत्क्रान्त्यादयः प्रस्तुताः षट्पदार्था अग्निहोत्रे, तथापि वैदिकानि सर्वाण्येव कर्माणि अग्निहोत्रप्रभृतीनि लक्ष्यन्ते; द्वाराग्निसंबद्धं हि पाङ्क्तं कर्म प्रस्तुत्योंक्तम्—‘कर्मणा पितृलोकः’ इति; वक्ष्यति च—‘अथ ये यज्ञेन दानेन तपसा लोकाञ्जयन्ति’ इति ॥
In plain words
Transformed into their divine aspect, they become Indra and the rest -- the very ones who officiate there, in the fire of heaven. And these same beings, having performed the agnihotra here for the fruit it brings, take up the role of offerer again and again as that fruit ripens, changing shape each time, always going by the name 'god.' Here is what actually happens: the milk poured into the fire is consumed by it, turned into something subtle and unseen, and travels -- together with the one who performed the rite -- as smoke, into the air, and from the air into heaven. Those subtle waters, the very substance the oblation becomes, belonging to the agnihotra, carrying the performer with them under the name 'faith,' enter heaven so that he can begin a new body in the world of the moon. That is what 'offered' means here. Having entered heaven, they shape his body there in the moon's disc. This is exactly what is said: 'The gods offer faith; from that offering King Soma comes to be' -- because scripture says 'faith is the waters.' The question was: 'Do you know at which offering the waters take on a human voice and rise up speaking?' -- and its answer turns on 'that world is a fire.' So it is settled: the waters bound up with the rite, which start the performer's new body, are what 'faith' means. They are called 'having a human voice' simply because water predominates -- not because nothing else is there. The body's beginning is driven by action, and action is bound to water, so water is what mainly makes the body -- hence 'the waters have a human voice.' Every birth, everywhere, is the work of action. And though the six stages beginning with the soul's departure were introduced here by way of praising the agnihotra, every Vedic rite -- not the agnihotra alone -- is really meant. Having brought up the fivefold rite through its link to fire, the text says: 'by action, the world of the ancestors' -- and it will go on to say: 'Now, those who conquer worlds by sacrifice, by gift, by austerity.'
Close to the Sanskrit
[...continuing from the previous page:] Having transformed into their divine (adhidaivika) aspect, they become Indra and the other gods; they alone are the offerers there in the fire of the heavenly world. And they, here, having performed the agnihotra for the sake of enjoying its fruit, they themselves, even at the time of the fruit's ripening, because they are the enjoyers of that fruit, take on the role of offerer in this place and that, transforming accordingly each time, being called by the word 'god.' Now, here, the milk-substance that is the basis of the agnihotra rite, when poured into the āhavanīya fire, consumed by the fire, transformed into an unseen subtle form, enters -- together with the performer, the sacrificer -- that higher world, by the sequence beginning with smoke, into the atmosphere, and from the atmosphere into the heavenly world. Those subtle waters, which are the product of the oblation, inherent in the agnihotra, together with the performer, denoted by the word 'faith,' entering the heavenly world so that the performer may begin a new body in the world of soma, are said to be 'offered.' They, having entered the heavenly world there, begin the performer's body in the disc of soma. This is accordingly stated: 'The gods offer faith; from that oblation King Soma comes into being' -- on the authority of the scripture 'Faith, indeed, is the waters.' 'Do you know at which numbered oblation, when offered, the waters, having become possessed of human speech, rise up and speak?' -- this is the question; and regarding its resolution, 'that world, indeed, is a fire' has been set forth as the topic. Therefore it is concluded that the waters, which are inherent in the rite and which initiate the performer's body, are denoted by the word 'faith.' Because of their preponderance, the designation 'the waters have human speech' is used -- not in the sense that the other elements do not exist. And the commencement of the body is impelled by ritual action; and action is inherent in water; and therefore there is a predominance of water in making the body; and hence the designation 'the waters have human speech'; for everywhere the commencement of birth is brought about by action. Here, although the six topics beginning with the departure of the soul have been introduced by way of the eulogy of the agnihotra-oblation in the context of the agnihotra, nevertheless all Vedic rites beginning with the agnihotra are actually meant. For, having introduced the fivefold rite as connected with the fire as its gateway, it is said: 'By ritual action, the world of the fathers'; and it will be said further on: 'Now, those who conquer worlds by sacrifice, by charity, by austerity.'