Bhashya
अथो इत्ययं वाक्योपन्यासार्थः ।अयं यः प्रकृतो गृही कर्माधिकृतः अविद्वान् शरीरेन्द्रियसंघातादिविशिष्टः पिण्ड आत्मेत्युच्यते, सर्वेषां देवादीनां पिपीलिकान्तानां भूतानांलोको भोग्य आत्मेत्यर्थः, सर्वेषां वर्णाश्रमादिविहितैः कर्म-भिरुपकारित्वात् ।कैः पुनः कर्मविशेषैरुपकुर्वन्केषां भूत-विशेषाणां लोकः इत्युच्यते-स गृही यज्जुहोति यद्यजते-यागो देवतामुद्दिश्य स्वत्वपरित्यागः, स एव आसेचना-धिको होमः-तेन होमयागलक्षणेन कर्मणा अवश्यकर्त-व्यत्वेन देवानां पशुवत्परतन्त्रत्वेन प्रतिबद्ध इति लोकः;अथ यदनुब्रूते स्वाध्यायमधीते अहरहः तेन ऋषीणां लोकः;अथ यत्पितृभ्यो निपृणाति प्रयच्छति पिण्डोदकादि, यच्चप्रजामिच्छते प्रजार्थमुद्यमं करोति- इच्छा च उत्पत्त्युपलक्ष-णार्था- प्रजां चोत्पादयतीत्यर्थः, तेन कर्मणा अवश्यकर्त-व्यत्वेन पितृणां लोकः पितृणां भोग्यत्वेन परतन्त्रो लोकः;अथ यन्मनुष्यान्वासयते भूम्युदकादिदानेन गृहे, यच्च ते-भ्यो वसद्भ्योऽवसद्भ्यो वा अर्थिभ्यः अशनं ददाति, तेनमनुष्याणाम् ; अथ यत्पशुभ्यस्तृणोदकं विन्दति लम्भयति,तेन पशूनाम् ; यदस्य गृहेषु श्वापदा वयांसि च पिपीलिका-भिः सह कणबलिभाण्डक्षालनाद्युपजीवन्ति, तेन तेषां लो-कः ।यस्मादयमेतानि कर्माणि कुर्वन्नुपकरोति देवादिभ्यः,तस्मात् , यथा ह वै लोके स्वाय लोकाय स्वस्मै देहायअरिष्टिम् अविनाशं स्वत्वभावाप्रच्युतिम् इच्छेत् स्वत्वभाव-प्रच्युतिभयात्पोषणरक्षणादिभिः सर्वतः परिपालयेत् ; एवं ह, एवंविदे-सर्वभूतभोग्योऽहम् अनेन प्रकारेण मया अवश्यमृणवत्प्रतिकर्तव्यम्-इत्येवमात्मानं परिकल्पितवते, सर्वाणि भूतानि देवादीनि यथोक्तानि, अरिष्टिमविनाशम् इच्छन्ति स्वत्वाप्रच्युत्यै सर्वतः संरक्षन्ति कुटुम्बिन इव पशून्- 'तस्मादेषां तन्न प्रियम्' इत्युक्तम् ।तद्वा एतत् तदेतत् यथोक्तानां कर्मणामृणवदवश्यकर्तव्यत्वं पञ्चमहायज्ञप्रकरणे विदितं कर्तव्यतया मीमांसितं विचारितं च अवदानप्रकरणे ॥
In plain words
Then comes the intended meaning of this introductory statement. The householder under discussion—unillumined, bound to the aggregate of body and senses, and qualified for ritual action—looks upon his physical frame as his self. The entire realm of experience, stretching from the highest gods down to the smallest ant, constitutes his world to be enjoyed, because he sustains them through the duties prescribed for his station in life. Through what specific rituals and for the sake of which beings is this world attained? Whatever the householder offers in the sacred fire or sacrifices—where sacrifice is the relinquishing of personal ownership for a deity, and oblation is the same act with the addition of pouring—by these obligatory acts of ritual worship, he stands bound in subservience to the gods, just like an animal; thus their realm becomes his world. Through daily scriptural study, the world of the ancient rishis becomes his. Through offerings of water and rice balls to his departed forebears, and through his endeavor to produce offspring, the realm of the ancestors becomes his dependent world of enjoyment. Through lodging human guests in his home with gifts of land and water, and through feeding all supplicants whether they stay or pass on, the human world becomes his. Through providing grass and water for livestock, the world of animals becomes his. Through the wild beasts, birds, and tiny ants that survive within his household on scraps, offerings, and washing water, their world becomes his. Because this person, by performing these various duties, sustains the gods and all other creatures, just as a person in ordinary life guards his own body from harm and loss out of fear, protecting it zealously on every side—so too do all these beings, divine and otherwise, desire safety and preservation for the person who understands his life as a debt owed to the whole of creation. They protect him from every side as relatives guard their precious livestock, fulfilling the scriptural truth that all beings cherish those who serve them. This very obligation of performing daily duties as a sacred debt is what has been established as imperative within the teachings of the five great sacrifices and deliberated in the ritual texts.
Close to the Sanskrit
Then this is the meaning of the introduction of the sentence. This person who is the subject, a householder, qualified for rituals, unillumined, distinguished by the aggregate of body and senses, is spoken of as the self as a physical body. The world of all beings from gods down to ants is enjoyable as the self, because they are rendered service by the actions prescribed for castes and life stages. By which specific actions rendering service to which specific beings is his world said to be? That householder—what he offers in fire, what he sacrifices (sacrifice is the abandonment of ownership directed toward a deity, and oblation is that very same act with the addition of pouring)—by that action characterized by oblation and sacrifice, as something necessarily to be performed and by being dependent like an animal upon the gods, his world is bound. Then what he recites and studies daily—by that, the world of the rishis. Then what he offers to the ancestors by giving rice balls and water, and what he desires progeny (desire is meant to indicate generation, meaning he produces progeny)—by that action as something necessarily to be performed, the world of the ancestors is a dependent world to be enjoyed by the ancestors. Then what he houses humans in his home through the gift of land, water, etc., and what he gives food to those supplicants staying or not staying—by that, the world of humans. Then what he finds and provides grass and water for animals—by that, the world of animals. What beasts of prey, birds, along with ants, subsist in his houses on grain scraps, offerings, and vessel washing water—by that, their world. Since this person performing these actions benefits the gods and others, therefore, just as indeed one in the world might desire safety, non-destruction, and non-deviation from ownership for his own body and self out of fear of losing ownership, and would protect it completely on all sides by feeding, protecting, etc.; even so, to such a person who understands himself thus—'I am enjoyed by all beings, in this manner by me it must necessarily be requited like a debt'—all beings, the gods and others as mentioned, desire safety and non-destruction and protect him completely from all sides like relatives guarding animals, as has been said: 'That is not dear to them.' That very same thing, the necessary performability of those stated actions like a debt, is known as a duty and has been investigated and deliberated in the section on the five great sacrifices and in the section on portions.