Bhashya
द्वे देवानभाजयदिति मन्त्रपदम् ; ये द्वे अन्ने सृष्ट्वा देवानभाजयत्, के ते द्वे इत्युच्यते— हुतं च प्रहुतं च ।हुतमित्यग्नौ हवनम्, प्रहुतं हुत्वा बलिहरणम् ।यस्मात् द्वे एते अन्ने हुतप्रहुते देवानभाजयत्पिता, तस्मात् एतर्ह्यपि गृहिणः काले देवेभ्यो जुह्वति देवेभ्य इदमन्नमस्माभिर्दीयमानमिति मन्वाना जुह्वति, प्रजुह्वति च हुत्वा बलिहरणं च कुर्वत इत्यर्थः ।अथो अप्यन्य आहुः— द्वे अन्ने पित्रा देवेभ्यः प्रत्ते न हुतप्रहुते, किं तर्हि दर्शपूर्णमासाविति ।द्वित्वश्रवणाविशेषात् अत्यन्तप्रसिद्धत्वाच्च हुतप्रहुते इति प्रथमः पक्षः ।यद्यपि द्वित्वं हुतप्रहुतयोः संभवति, तथापि श्रौतयोरेव तु दर्शपूर्णमासयोर्देवान्नत्वं प्रसिद्धतरम्, मन्त्रप्रकाशितत्वात्;माणो वत्स इत्येवं पृष्टाः सन्तः- अतृणाद इति- ना-द्यापि तृणमत्ति, अतीव बालः पयसैवाद्यापि वर्तत इत्यर्थः ।यच्च अग्रे जातकर्मादौ घृतमुपजीवन्ति, यच्च इतरे पय एव,तत् सर्वथापि पय एवोपजीवन्ति ; घृतस्यापि पयोविका-रत्वात्पयस्त्वमेव ।कस्मात्पुनः सप्तमं सत् पश्वन्नं चतुर्थत्वेनव्याख्यायते ? कर्मसाधनत्वात् ; कर्म हि पयःसाधनाश्रयम्अग्निहोत्रादि ; तच्च कर्म साधनं वित्तसाध्यं वक्ष्यमाणस्या-न्नत्रयस्य साध्यस्य, यथा दर्शपूर्णमासौ पूर्वोक्तावन्ने ; अतःकर्मपक्षत्वात् कर्मणा सह पिण्डीकृत्योपदेशः ; साधनत्वा-विशेषात् अर्थसंबन्धात् आनन्तर्यमकारणमिति च ; व्या-ख्याने प्रतिपत्तिसौकर्याच्च- सुखं हि नैरन्तर्येण व्या-ख्यातुं शक्यन्तेऽन्नानि व्याख्यातानि च सुखं प्रतीयन्ते ।तस्मिन्सर्वं प्रतिष्ठितं यच्च प्राणिति यच्च नेत्यस्य कोऽर्थइत्युच्यते- तस्मिन् पश्वन्ने पयसि, सर्वम् अध्यात्माधि-भूताधिदैवलक्षणं कृत्स्नं जगत् प्रतिष्ठितम्-यच्च प्राणितिप्राणचेष्टावत्, यच्च न स्थावरं शैलादि ।तत्र हि-शब्देनैवप्रसिद्धावद्योतकेन व्याख्यातम् ।कथं पयोद्रव्यस्य सर्वप्र-तिष्ठात्वम् ? कारणत्वोपपत्तेः ; कारणत्वं च अग्निहोत्रादि-कर्मसमवायित्वम् ; अग्निहोत्राद्याहुतिविपरिणामात्मकं च
In plain words
'He shared out the two among the gods' — this line comes straight from the mantra. He made two foods and gave them to the gods; which two were they? Here is the answer: the one poured into the fire, and the one scattered afterward as an offering. 'Poured' means the oblation placed in the fire; 'scattered' is the portion carried out and given as a bali once the pouring is done. Because the primordial father divided exactly these two foods, the poured and the scattered, among the gods, householders still do the same today: at the right time they pour their offering to the gods, thinking, 'this food is ours to give,' and once they've poured it, they scatter the bali as well — that's all this is saying. Some, however, read it differently. They say the two foods the father gave the gods weren't the poured and scattered offerings at all — they were the new-moon and full-moon sacrifices. The first group leans on the fact that 'two' alone doesn't tell you which pair, and the poured-and-scattered pair is simply the most familiar one. But even granting that 'two' could fit either pair, it's the new-moon and full-moon rites — the ones actually laid down by revelation — whose standing as 'food for the gods' is the better-known fact, since the mantra itself spells it out. …the calf, asked why it does nothing but wait for milk, is called 'the one who doesn't yet eat grass' — meaning it still hasn't started on grass, being so young it still lives on milk alone. And whether a child is nursed first on ghee, at the birth ceremonies and such, or lives on milk plain and simple, either way it is living on milk — because ghee is nothing but milk transformed; it never stops being milk at heart. So why is milk — which actually comes seventh — explained here as though it were fourth? Because it serves as the means for ritual action. Rites like the fire-offering rest on milk as their material basis; and that ritual action is itself a means, paid for in wealth, toward the three foods still to be discussed — just as the new-moon and full-moon rites were the two foods already explained. That's why milk is taught right alongside ritual action: both serve the same kind of end, both are bound together by purpose, and mere sequence was never the reason for the order anyway. It's also simply easier to follow this way — foods are easiest to explain one after another without a break, and once explained, they're easy to hold onto. 'In it everything rests, both what breathes and what doesn't' — what does that mean? It means: in that animal-food, in milk, the entire universe rests — the self, the elements, the gods, every dimension of it — both the breathing part, everything astir with the movement of life, and the still part, the mountains and all that never moves. And the very word 'indeed' there is simply pointing to something everyone already knows. But how can a mere substance like milk be the resting-place of everything? Because it can be shown to be the cause — and being the cause means being bound up with rites like the fire-offering, born as the transformed product of the oblations poured in rites like these, and…
Close to the Sanskrit
'He divided the two among the gods' — this is a phrase of the mantra. Having created the two foods, which he divided among the gods, which are those two? — it is said: the offered and the offered-forth. 'Offered' means oblation into the fire; 'offered-forth' is the carrying of the bali after the oblation. Since the father divided these two foods, the offered and the offered-forth, among the gods, therefore even now householders, at the proper time, offer to the gods, thinking 'this food is being given by us to the gods' — they offer, and they also offer-forth; having offered, they also perform the carrying of the bali; that is the meaning. Now others also say: the two foods given by the father to the gods are not the offered and the offered-forth; what then? — the new-moon and full-moon sacrifices. Because there is no distinction merely in hearing 'twoness,' and because of their extreme well-knownness, it is the offered and offered-forth — this is the first position. Although twoness is possible for the offered and offered-forth, still it is of the two Vedic-rite-enjoined ones alone, the new-moon and full-moon sacrifices, whose status as food for the gods is better known, because it is disclosed by the mantra. …calf, when thus asked, is called 'non-grass-eater' — meaning it does not yet eat grass, being an extremely young one, it still lives on milk alone; that is the meaning. And what some, at first, at the birth-rite and so on, live on — ghee, and what others live on — milk alone; that, in every way, they live on milk alone, since ghee too, being a modification of milk, is verily milk. Why then is milk, though actually the seventh, explained as the fourth? Because of being a means for ritual action. For ritual action — the fire-oblation and so on — is the basis of the means, milk; and that ritual action is itself a means accomplished by wealth, for the yet-to-be-stated triad of foods that are to be accomplished, just as the new-moon and full-moon sacrifices are the previously stated two foods. Hence, because of belonging to the side of ritual action, the teaching is grouped together with ritual action; because there is no difference in being a means, and because of connection in purpose, sequence is not the cause — so it is said; and because of ease of comprehension in the exposition — for foods can easily be explained in unbroken succession, and once explained, they are easily understood. 'In it everything is established, both what breathes and what does not' — what is the meaning of this? It is said: in that animal-food, namely milk, the whole universe characterized by the pertaining-to-self, pertaining-to-elements, and pertaining-to-deities is established — both what breathes, having the movement of breath, and what does not, namely the unmoving, mountains and so on. There, indeed, it has been explained by the very word 'hi,' an indicator of what is well-known. How is the substance milk the ground of everything? Because its being the cause is established; and its being the cause is its inherence in rites such as the fire-oblation; and it is of the nature of the transformation of the oblation offered in rites such as the fire-oblation, and…