The works of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya

Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣadbhāṣyam

Bhashya

Bhashya

योषा वा अग्निर्गौतम ।योषेति स्त्री पञ्चमो होमाधिकरणम् अग्निः तस्याः उपस्थ एव समित् ; तेन हि सा समिध्यते ।लोमानि धूमः, तदुत्थानसामान्यात् ।योनिः अर्चिः, वर्णसामान्यात् ।यदन्तः करोति, तेऽङ्गाराः ; अन्तः-

In plain words

Woman herself is fire, Gautama -- 'woman' here means the female body, the fifth site where this offering is made. Her lap alone is its fuel; that is what kindles her. Her hair is the smoke, rising the way smoke rises. Her womb is the flame, sharing its very color. Whatever happens within is the coals -- within-- [here the source page itself breaks off mid-sentence; the text that continues this thought is not part of this hash-verified record, and nothing is supplied in its place].

Close to the Sanskrit

Woman, indeed, is fire, O Gautama. 'Woman' -- [meaning] a female, the fifth site of oblation, [is] the fire. Her lap alone is the fuel; for indeed by that she is kindled. The hairs are the smoke, because of the shared feature of arising therefrom. The vulva is the flame, because of the shared hue. What one does within -- those are the coals; within-- [the source text breaks off here at a page boundary; no continuation is present in this hash-verified record].